Mata Nui, meet Primus
by Galem
Summary: They were her family. They raised her, trained her, taught her everything she knows. She was one of them and they were her whole world. But, thanks to a dark force, they now think she is dead. How will her siblings, old and new, react when they find her alive eight years later...and with a new family?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Transformers or Bionicle. They belong to Hasbro and Lego. All I own is the plot and my OC.**

**On the island of Mata Nui**

Toa Onua was walking through the Onu-Koro tunnels to meet with the other Toa at Le-Koro when something caught his eye. Carefully removing the dirt around it and prying it loose, he inspected the artifact in the glow of a lightstone. It was disk-like in shape and made of golden protodermis. The mark of the three virtues, surrounded by six colored stones, was on one side of the plate while the other was smooth. Onua gazed closer at the stones. If it had been a clock, the gems' positions would read as such: red at twelve, blue at two, brown at four, white at six, black at eight, and green at ten. _Interesting. __I wonder what it is. _Onua turned the device in his hands, letting the jewels catch and refract the light. "I better show this to the others."

Arriving to the village of air, he joined his brothers and sister in Lewa's hut. As the others gave their reports of the welfare of their koros, Onua's mind wandered back to the golden disk he found. Something about it bothered him.

"…alright-fine, brother?"

"Huh….what?" Onua looked up to see the others staring at him.

"I asked if you were alright-fine."

"Oh. Yes, I'm alright."

Tahu was not convinced. "You've been quiet all meeting. Is there something you're not telling us?"

Onua let out a sigh and pulled out the disk. "I found this buried in the tunnels on my way here."

Gali reached out to take it. "It's beautiful!" she exclaimed. It was true. Out in the sunlight, the disk looked like it was the sun itself and the jewels sparkled and twinkled like the Toa stars in the night sky. It was truly a breathtaking sight.

"Hey, what's that?"

Everyone looked to what Pohatu was pointing at. There, in the center dot of the three virtues, was a bluish white gem.

"Huh, never saw that there before." Onua muttered as he reached over to graze his fingers over the jewel.

"What do you think it is?" Gali asked, finally turning her gaze away to look up at Tahu.

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask Turaga Ma…"

Tahu never finished his sentence. For just as Onua's fingers came in contact with the center jewel, a bright light appeared and surrounded the Toa. Turaga Matau, who was on his way to discuss an issue with Lewa, saw the light and hurried as fast as he could to the hut. He arrived in time to see the light disappear and the Toa along with it. The Turaga of Air felt a wave of anxiety wash over him and grip his heart.

"Mata Nui, protect them."


	2. Chapter 2

**NEST base, Diego Garcia**

Linda was hanging out (or as she likes to call it, "chillaxing") with the Autobots in the rec room on a hot summer's day. She was seated on the shoulder of her best friend, Jazz, as they watched the Terror Twins play against Lennox and Epps in a game of Halo. Sides and Epps had gotten into somewhat of an argument about who was the better shooter and seeing that Ironhide was not in the sharing mood, they went with the next best thing; they dragged Sunstreaker and Lennox into it to "even the odds".

"Yeah! Headshot!"

"Big deal, ketchup. Check this out!"

"Mata Nui, how long will this go on?" Linda moaned as she leaned back against Jazz's helm. The beginning of a headache pricked at the back of her eyes. "They've been at it for three hours straight!"

Jazz shrugged his free shoulder. "Do 'now. But ah will say it's getting' a bit borin'."

The brown haired girl let out a huff. "Understatement of the century, bro. Though, with the Cons being completely quiet and Galloway coming in and being a complete kohlii-head with the whole 'you can't leave the base' junk, this is at least something."

She let her gaze roam over the room and its few, slumbering occupants. Mirage was sprawled out atop a table near the door while Jolt sat in a slouched position in one of the booths in the corner, his legs propped up on the table. Cliffjumper sat in the booth opposite Jolt going through a data pad where he had downloaded every online weapons catalog available. As for her and Jazz, the silver saboteur was running through every single channel on the radio for any good music and Linda had one of her earbuds in listening to her iPod playlist for the umpteenth time. A light snore drew her attention to the black and white doorwinger to Jazz's left. Prowl was sitting just a chair over from the two, a data pad open in front of him but he had not touched it in the last hour. In fact, his helm had met the tabletop half an hour ago. Linda smiled fondly at the SIC. It has been a long time since he had allowed himself to relax enough to get some decent recharge, so seeing him completely knocked out like this was a bit of a relief though she was positive that Jazz had a hand in it. An agitated growl brought her attention back to the sofa and she couldn't help but utter a soft chuckle. Gently, she nudged Jazz and motioned with her head. "Check out Lennox and Sunny."

Jazz followed her gaze and bit back a laugh. Lennox was glaring at Epps with a look that said he was going to have the Master Sergeant on KP duty for the rest of his life when this was over while Sunstreaker looked like he was five short seconds away from off-lining his twin for real. Smirking, Linda decided enough was enough and as much as she hated to wake some of the other bots up (Prowl could sleep through a category five typhoon) she was going to put an end to this once and for all. Picking up her iPad and using a code Jazz had taught her, she hacked into the game console and waited for the right moment to strike. She didn't have to wait long as Sideswipe's avatar just made a kill shot to Epps's avatar.

"Aw, come on!"

"Yes! Haha, in your face Epps!"

Sideswipe was about to give a victory dance when the screen suddenly went black. It came back a second later showing a pop-tart cat that was trailing rainbows while the tune of a fast melody blared from the speakers. Sides and Epps stared slack-jawed as their controllers fell out of their limp hands.

POP!

THUMP!

Sunstreaker and Lennox sat wide-eyed as both Master Sergeant and ruby frontliner fell to the ground. Over the music, they heard snickering and hopelessly muffled laughter behind them. Looking over, they gaped at the sight of Cliffjumper, Jazz and Linda on the floor, laughing their heads off. Sunstreaker glanced between the three hyenas, his glitched twin and the cat on the screen before he started to laugh as well. Lennox joined in a minute later, also getting the joke.

"Hey Linda," The golden frontliner managed to get out between chuckles. "You think you could turn that song off now? It's starting to get a bit…."

"On it!" Linda wiped the tears from her eyes and snatched up her iPad to quickly deactivate the song. A few smothered snickers managed to escape as she disconnected from the game console. Movement to her right drew her gaze as Cliff managed to drag himself up to his feet, using the table as a brace. The sound of someone sitting heavily in a chair told her that Jazz had gotten off the floor and as she turned to look, she caught sight of Mirage still asleep on the table. At least, that's how it seemed til she saw his shoulders slightly shaking. A quick glance at Jolt told her the same story. Both had seen what had happened and they were struggling not to laugh. Her grin widened. It always made her happy to make her friends happy.

"Rec room?...Sides glitched."

Linda had just put away her iPad when Ratchet barged through the doors, startling Mirage so much that the spy made like a cat and hit the ceiling, his claw-like fingers buried deep for a tight grip, while Jolt was 'jolted' out of his position and promptly fell under the table with a chirp. Needless to say, the sight made everyone, Ratchet and Prowl (man, that bot can sleep!) excluded, fall over howling with laughter. Suddenly, Linda stopped and stood up, facing the doorway. She stared at it as if expecting someone to walk in. Confusion, shock and excitement flickered across her eyes as they momentary changed color. Jazz, noticing her sudden stillness, rested a finger lightly on her shoulder.

"Linda? Are you alright?"

"Can't be."

She shot out of the rec room faster than anyone had ever seen before, doors closing behind her just as the ear-splitting sound of the proximity alarms went off. She heard the faint sound of a thud behind her. _Bout time Prowl woke up_.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we?"

Everywhere Tahu set his golden red gaze was sand and ocean, with the occasional patch of grass or trees. Gali was watching the strange sea life in a nearby tide pool. Onua was with her, his attention drawn to the rock formations that surrounded and made up said tide pool and Lewa was trying to coax Pohatu out of one of the trees that the Toa of Stone had climbed to get as far away from the water as possible.

"No idea. Though I believe it would be safe to say that we are not on Mata Nui anymore."

Tahu cast an annoyed look at his ice brother's back.

"Really? What was your first clue?"

Kopaka bit back a retort when he saw something golden in the water near Tahu's feet. Bending down, he picked up the disk and flipped it over. The center jewel was gone. Kopaka tapped the empty space a few times with no results while Tahu searched the shore around its resting place for the gem but came up empty. Sharing a look, the two realized the terrible truth.

"Come on, brother, it's not that bad-terrible." Lewa was still trying to talk Pohatu out of his tall, leafy sanctuary.

"Look-see, the ocean-water does not even come this high-far inland."

"Ever heard of a high tide?" Pohatu tightened his grip on the trunk a little more as he watched the distant waves. Below, Lewa raised his arms in exasperation. Yes, Pohatu was afraid of water, but that never stopped him from visiting Ga-Koro, so for him to act like this was very unlike him. And he was a terrible climber. The poor Toa looked like he was literally hugging the life out of the tree while hanging up-side down. Now that Lewa thought about it, it was actually a funny sight. The green Toa let out a few chuckles at his brother's predicament when the sound of full blown female laughter caused him and the others to whirl around to see a young Toa-like rahi watching them.

She was short, probably coming up to Tahu's chest. She wore strange, flimsy armor that was white and grey on the top and light blue on the bottom with some kind of white/blue protection on her feet. On her head was long brown fur that came to her shoulders and was tied in the back. Her brown eyes sparkled with mirth as her mouth was covered by both hands to stifle her laughter. Pohatu, startled at her sudden presence, lost his grip and fell onto the thankfully soft grass. Okay, more like he face-planted in the dirt. This renewed the girl's giggling fit and Lewa's snickering behind him didn't help any.

"I did not think-know that you were like-dating the ground, Pohatu." The girl doubled over in laughter, a hand over her mouth while the other supported herself on her knee. Several of the other Toa also snickered softly at the statement. Grumbling, Pohatu picked himself up and shot a glare at his younger brother before turning back to the girl.

"What are you laughing at?" He demanded, brushing the dirt off his armor.

Before she could answer, Tahu stepped in.

"More importantly, who and what are you?" He placed himself between his brothers and the stranger. The girl straightened, having finally gotten control of herself, and cocked her hips, her lips turned up in a soft smile.

"Relax, young Toa. I am a human and a friend."

Gali was taken aback by the girl's voice. She spoke with a tone that said she was older than she looked and the water Toa couldn't shake the feeling that she was familiar somehow.

"How do you know we are Toa?" Lewa sputtered in shock. The girl gave him an 'are you for real?' look before responding. "It's quite obvious. You're not completely organic nor are you completely robotic. You're colored completely in five different colors that signify the five elements you control: fire, water, ice, stone, air and earth. Your weapons also confirm this fact. Also, I can tell a Toa when I see one." No sooner did the last sentence leave her mouth that Tahu attacked her. Or at least, he tried. He punched, kicked and slashed out with his swords but the girl just dodged and parried with great skill and ease. He brought his magma sword down, aiming for her shoulder, but was startled when she merely caught it one-handed. Flashing him an amused smile, she proceeded to flip him over her shoulder. He landed flat on his back, staring up at her in complete shock.

"**Not bad, Fire-Spitter. Need a little work on your stance though**."

Whatever remark Tahu was going to say died on his lips as he took into account what she had just said. He glanced at the others. They nodded their heads. Yes, they had heard it too. Shakily getting to his feet, he fixed his gaze on her; his mind going a thousand miles per minute trying to figure out….

"How can you speak Mato….?"

KA-BOOM!

Toa and human were knocked off their feet by the resulting shockwave. Being closer to the blast, Onua, Kopaka and Tahu were instantly knocked out and sent flying into the shallow water. Lewa and Pohatu hit the trees hard and Gali lay sprawled out on her back with the girl atop her, both unconscious. Footsteps approached the group. Lewa managed to weakly look up to see the silhouette of another creature in black before submitting to the darkness. The last thing he heard was a male voice saying something about "Experimentation…leave girl…before they come."


	4. Chapter 4

_"__Toa! The Rahi are attacking the village!"_

_"__Quickly Captain, get the Turaga and the Matoran to safety! I will go out and hold off the enemy."_

_"__No, sister, I refuse to let you go out there! It's too dangerous!"_

_"__Brother, I have no choice. I am Toa and as such it is my sworn duty to protect our people. I must go. I'm sorry."_

_"__No, young one, come back! Sister!"_

_"__Farewell, Toa."_

_"__NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Linda shot up, gasping for breath. She couldn't see anything, not that she needed to to know she was back in her room. It was pitch-black but she hardly noticed as she stared out into space. The scent of sulfur burned her nostrils; her ears rang with the fearful cries of the villagers which brought tears to her eyes at the pang of helplessness she felt. Old wounds on her arms, legs and side burned as if opened anew. A hand rose to her chest as she inadvertently began to rub the area over her heart. _'__Toa. How long has it been…since I last heard that word?' _The memories turned back to a more cheerful time. She saw a small girl, with golden curls, being carried on the shoulders of a tall red and gold being, both laughing merrily at a similar green being who had fallen flat on his mask, his legs tangled in some cables. Another memory showed the same child, though a little older and with darker hair, running alongside two figures similar to the red and green ones she had seen earlier but these were black and brown. It looked like they were running from something towards the mouth of some tunnel where a white figure was waving at them, motioning them to hurry up. Beyond him, she could see the red and green figures from before. Noticing that the red one was looking behind her, she glanced back to see a feminine blue figure running close behind her and behind her…was a swarm of giant metal spiders. Linda shook her head to clear it. _'__Why am I thinking these thoughts now?'_

Then she remembered. The familiar energy pulse she had sensed. The excitement that ran through her as she bolted to find the source. Meeting the Toa on the beach. Linda chuckled. The stone Toa really did look silly, hanging from that palm tree like an over-grown hairless sloth. She grinned as she recalled her little duel with the fire Toa but the smile melted into a frown at the next thought. She just had to go and show off by speaking their language. How idiotic can she be?! At least that explosion had preve…. Her eyes widened as she sprang out of the bed and entered the connected bathroom for a quick shower. The explosion. Where had that come from? The Autobots would never shoot when she's in the vicinity. Prime, Jazz and Ironhide would hand the one responsible their afts if that were to happen. No, not the Bots then. It was someone else. Someone who would have the tech to detect the energy signature of a transportation device. Decepticons? No, no, they weren't in the area at the time. The proximity alarms had gone off just after she had left the rec room so…..

After squeezing out the last of the excess water in her hair, she pulled on a pair of forest green khakis, black army boots, and a white tank top. She blow-dried her hair a bit before proceeding to braid it. Then, she pulled on her pair of black, fingerless gloves and turned to the jewelry box under the mirror of her vanity. She felt a little hesitant to open it. Years of precious, childhood memories lay in that box. But this was important. If her hunch was right, then she would need all the help she could get. Taking a deep breath, she turned the key and opened the lid. Reaching in, she pulled out a silver, circular medallion on which was engraved the symbol of her home city. And in the centermost of the design, sat a bluish white gem. She gazed at the piece for a moment, turning it this way and that, letting the light gleam off the red mark and refract off the jewel. Heaving a sigh, she connected the chain around her neck, letting the pendent rest over the heart. Looking up, she watched as the eyes of the girl in her reflection brightened to the color of soft, golden amber. Streaks of ruby red and golden blonde momentarily lit her restrained curls and the mark of Three Virtues tattooed on her shoulder glowed brightly for only a minute before all returned to their former colors.

Holding a hand out in front her, she watched as tendrils of electricity danced across her fingers. A soft, pleased smile graced her lips.

"Still got it."

Snatching up her brown jacket, she slipped it on as she headed out the door. A quick glance at her clock told her it was five in the morning. It had been one in the afternoon when the Toa arrived the other day. That meant if she wanted to help the Toa, she had to act fast. The sooner they were out of that idiot's hands the better. And if she found out that he had hurt them in any way, she would not hesitate to unleash her wrath upon those who would harm her younger siblings. With that thought in mind, she headed down to the mess hall to snatch an early breakfast and then proceed down the corridor to a certain bot's office while dialing a number on her phone.

"Hey Jazz! Wassup?...I'm fine, really. Never been better….Oh relax, wouldja? Hey, where are you right now?...Just came in from patrol?...Good. Meet me at Prowl's office. We need to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

Prowl had just finished the new work roster and picked up an unfinished report when there was a knock on his door. Without even looking up, he signaled it to open. He had assumed it was probably Lennox or one of the new recruits come by to ask him about a certain strategy or complain about the Chevy Twins running amuck…again.

"Morning Prowl! Gotta minute?"

So he was surprised when he looked up to see none other than Linda standing on his desk. She just stood there, contemplating him, hands clasped behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her heels. His doorwings twitched slightly and he frowned lightly. He was getting a high electrical reading from nearby but he couldn't pinpoint it exactly as it just came and went. Mentally shaking his head, he turned his attention back to the young human.

"Is there something I can help you with, Linda?"

She shifted her gaze between the two piles of pads on either side of the desk. From what she could see, the right side was taller than the left or was that her right was shorter than his left? Ugh! This was one of the things that bothered her most about Prowl. She couldn't seem to make heads or tails out of the mech. Everything she saw as right-side up was upside down for him and vice versa. Sometimes she wondered if he did it on purpose just to annoy her. Whatever.

"So…which is the 'In' pile this time?"

A jerk of the stylus to the pile on her right was all she got. Hmph, Ko-Matoran big-brain. She glared at him a bit before considering the stack. If she's learned anything about approaching the tactician, it's that the less work in the 'In' pile, the more likely he is to actually hold a conversation with you. And right now, it looks like Primus was smiling down on her.

"I need to talk to you."

No response. The stylus kept moving.

"About what happened yesterday?"

Silence.

"What about it?"

Linda was a bit startled at the tightness in Prowl's voice. Something was bothering the tactician. Sure, nearly every bot and human on base annoyed him to no end but what she was seeing was not annoyance. It looked more like he was blaming himself for something. But what?

"I…was wondering if you could fill me in on the details, seeing that I've been asleep for sixteen hours."

Prowl seemed to tense at the statement if his grip tightening around the stylus was anything to go by. "I apologize, but I cannot give you that information." He returned to filling out his report.

"What!" Linda could not believe what she was hearing. Prowl would never hold back information from her. Okay, if it was a secret mission, she could understand, but this? This was her life they were talking about. Also, she needed him to tell her. She had to know what they had been told about the attack so that she can figure out who ordered the attack and where the Toa were now. " Come on, Prowl. You can't hold back that information. I deserve to know what happened!"

"Uh, Lin? Ya might want tah not go there." Jazz's voice behind her lightly surprised her. When did he get here? More importantly, what was he doing here? She face palmed mentally. Duh, she had asked him to meet her here so they could talk and so far it was not going as smoothly as she had hoped.

Because she had her back turned to Prowl, she did not see the angry glare he shot at her before he slammed both palms flat on the desk on either side of her, shaking her so bad she fell flat on her back.

"You want to know what happened?" He snarled, optics narrowed to slits. "You want to know what happened?! You DIED! THAT'S what happened! When we arrived onsite, we found you face down in the shallows. Your clothes were in tatters, third-degree burns on your arms and back, a large gash across your forehead where you had hit it with a rock and your lungs were already half-filled with water. By the time we got you back to Ratchet, it was too late. You were gone!" A bit of static emitted from his vocalizer and Prowl turned away as he struggled to compose himself. Linda had not moved from her position, staring up at him with wide-eyes. She had…died? Actually died? No wonder Prowl had been so against telling her. She could only imagine what he, and the others, had gone through when they were told she had flat-lined. She felt the familiar pang of regret gnaw at her stomach.

"Ratchet was just about to call it at 1700 when a light filled the medbay, blinding everyone." Jazz picked up where Prowl left off. "When it dissipated, you were alive and stable. The worst of your wounds and burns were gone save for the ones around your hands and arms which Ratchet tended to."

She remembered the white cloths she had torn off when she had taken a shower. _Oh, that's what those were._ She thought sheepishly. _Whoops._

"Ratchet kept you for the rest of the day and half of the night before he deemed you stable enough to be transferred to your room. Prowler here was the one who offered to take you. And before you ask, no, I did not escort him. I wasn't even on base at the time. I was out on patrol."

Linda stared in shock. Prowl had carried her to her room? Why? He wouldn't even let her get anywhere near him! In fact, the closest she ever got was next to him while riding on Jazz's shoulder, passing him in the halls or standing (or in her present case, lying) on his desk. So for her to hear that the illusive tactician had actually, physically, carried her to her room without Jazz nearby, she was just floored (no pun intended). Keeping her gaze on the faintly trembling doorwings, she slowly got to her feet. "Prowl?" The mech turned slightly and her breath caught in her throat at the lubricant tracks that streaked his faceplates. She raised her arms to him. He got the message and reached down to gently pick her up, bringing her to optic level. She leaned over as far as she could and planted a soft kiss on the tip of his olfactory sensor. "Thank you." She smiled as he lowered her back down. "And I apologized, I did not mean to cause you all so much worry."

Jazz grinned at the two of them as he shoved away from the wall he was leaning against. "Yeah, well, too bad the Cons pulled a disappearing act on us." His smile curled into a sneer as he cracked his servos. "Would love to know how they managed to slip through our defenses."

"Wait, what? Cons, what Cons?" Linda cast the silver minibot a confused glance.

"He is referring to the six Decepticon Pretenders you engaged with at the beach." Prowl reclaimed his seat after having cleaned up in the adjoining washracks (the spiders claimed his berth years ago).

Linda huffed. "They weren't Cons guys! They were.."

ALERT: ENERGY SPIKE DETECTED! ALERT: ENERGY SPIKE DETECTED! ALERT: ENERGY SPIKE DETECTED!

"Hold that thought?"

"Wait here Linda. We'll be right back."

Jazz darted out into the hallway with Prowl on his pedes. A flash of light behind him caught Prowl's attention but by the time he had looked back, the door had closed. Shrugging off, he hurried after his friend. The two made a half dash to the main conference room, barely avoiding Ironhide and Mirage in the process. Jazz offered an apologetic look while Prowl voiced his but they were ignored as their friends all but dragged them to their destination. Prowl was surprised at how fast the room filled as he took his place by Prime, and how eager both humans and Cybertonians seemed to be. He mentally rebuked himself. Of course everyone was going to jump at the chance to get out of the base after being three long months in lockdown.

"Report."

"Teletraan One is picking up a major power surge in the Death Valley area." A young soldier spoke up from his place at the consoles. Another soldier took up the report. "We can't get an exact fix but scans show that it's somewhere in the San Diego district."

"Optimus, we'll get our men ready. The planes should be fueled and ready to launch in at least an hour and a half."

Optimus nodded in acknowledgement. "Very well, Lennox. Ironhide, comm. Bee and have him rendezvous with us at the landing site."

"Right away, Prime!" The black mech quickly snapped a salute before turning on his heels to follow his human charge and friend out.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, you will be coming as back-up. Make ready your weapons."

The Lambo twins snapped to attention, though Sideswipe's salute seemed a bit…loopy? Typical Sides. "Sir, yes sir!"

"You got it, Prime!" The two left calmly but there was no hidden smiles or chuckles at the sparkling-like whoops and cheers that followed the hurried pede-falls after the door closed.

"I have a feeling that the local enforcers might get involved in this so Prowl, Jazz, I need you two to run interference and keep them and the public from getting too close. Ratchet will accompany us as well, in case there's a medical emergency. Get ready, we move within the hour.""

"As you wish, Optimus."

"On it, OP!"

"Right."

Optimus remained a moment longer after his three officers had left before leaving himself to get ready for the mission. As the door closed behind the flamed mech, a cloaked figure lands on the catwalk. It walks over to study the data on the computer screen. A female voice chuckles.

"Powerful energy, huh? Well, then why don't we take a closer look."

Fingers flew across the keyboard, amber gaze scanning over every bit of data available.

"Hmmm, not enough info. Then again, these scanners are only for picking up energon signatures so no surprise there. But if I do this.."

Several more keystrokes. "Yes! I'm in. Did they really think that disguising the signal with an energon beacon would fool me? Pfft, kohlii-heads, the lot of 'em. Now then, let's see what you're hiding?"

Data flew across the screen as the keystrokes got faster as the dire significance of the information sank in.

"No, this cannot be!" The clatter of the toppled chair fell on deaf ears as wide eyes stared fearfully at the screen as if it had shown a figment of the past. And by what the readings were saying, it might as well have.

"Scrap it all to Karzahni! It's him." Turning on her heel, she strides back to the place she had landed before wheeling around to glare daggers at the screen. "Well, if it's a fight he wants, then it's a fight he'll get. And this time, I will be victorious."

A pair of glowing blue wings sprouts from her back and in a flash of light, she's gone. A large shadow falls on the area where the figure had been. Cerulean optics gleam in curiosity as processors run through all that was witnessed. After a few moments, the shadow turns, the overhead light catching off of the red on his helm, and hurries out the door. There was less than an hour left to meet with the others at the tarmac.


	6. Chapter 6

Prowl rushes into his office to grabs his acid-pellet rifle and ammunition. He is almost about to dash out the door when a voice calls out to him.

"Where are you going Prowl?"

Spinning back around so fast he nearly lost his balance, he stares in shock at the sight of Linda sitting calmly on his desk. She looked like she had just woken up. Then he remembers she had asked him a question and quickly snaps out of his dazed state.

"Just a mission to the mainland. Shouldn't be too long." He smiles at her reassuringly.

Linda seemed to perk up a bit. "The mainland? Really?! May I come?"

Prowl let out a rare chuckle. "Apologies, youngling, but no. Ratchet would have my helm if I brought you to the middle of a fight so soon after your recent ordeal."

"Oh yeah, then 'Hide gets your pedes, Jazz your servos, Prime your chassis, the twins your mmmph!"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Prowl removed his finger from over her mouth. "Just stay on base for now, okay."

She grinned. "Sure thing. I'll probably go back to bed and sleep some more. You just be careful out there, alright?"

Smiling, Prowl offered his open palm for her to climb on. Once she was comfortably seated, he raised her to his chestplates and held her close, a thumb gently rubbing her back. "Always."

"You two lovebirds gonna kiss or what?"

Startled, they turned to see a visored helm smirking at them from the hall. "Hurry up Prowler, we're leaven'." With that, the saboteur quickly took his leave, leaving them staring after him in shock.

"I'm going to get him for that." Prowl growled, his optics never leaving the spot where the TIC had been. He felt a soft sensation on his chest and looked down to see Linda gently stroking it.

"You can get him later, say after the mission?" Her mischievous grin was reflected on Prowl's faceplates. He let out a mock sigh of defeat as he set her back on his desk.

"Very well, I will not punish him. At least, not without my favorite strategist."

Try as she might, Linda could not hold back the laughter at just what the SIC was suggesting. "Oh, you're devious, you know that?" She managed to get out between chuckles. Prowl 'hummed' softly as he turned to leave. He had just reached the door when he stopped. "Linda?" The girl looked up from her place on the steps leading down from Prowl's desk. "Yes?"

"He had a good point though."

What happened next shocked her to her very core. One minute, she was looking up at his motionless form, trying to figure out what he meant, and the next thing she knew, a pair of lips had smashed into hers. She stood frozen for a minute as a six foot, Asian American man with long, jet black hair, which was tied back in a long ponytail, high cheekbones, tanned skin and gorgeous sapphire eyes rammed his lips onto hers. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him and she, to her surprise, had her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He pulled away, drawing a whimper out of her, before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead. "I love you." He whispered before dissipating and Prowl ran out to join the others, leaving Linda to stare after him, mouth agape. Prowl arrived just as a voice over the PA called out the boarding order. As humans and Autobots loaded into the C-17s, no one noticed the black figure race across the tarmac into the waiting aircrafts just as the rear hatch sealed shut and they launched. Resting back on his wheels beside Ironhide, Prowl was just about to drift into a light recharge when a soft electric surge tingled his sensors, jerking him awake.

"What was that?"

"You say something Prowl?" Ironhide rumbled lightly, already halfway into recharge.

"No, nothing." He reached out with his sensors but the source of the surge was gone. "Nothing at all."

Deep within the shadows behind the Autobots, a pair of golden eyes watch the resting Cybertronians. The left eye brightens to pure white before the figure takes sanctuary further back in the darkness for the rest of the journey. Five hours later found them leaving Coronado Naval base for the nearby Sunset Park where Bumblebee said he would be. He had mentioned that he was unable to meet them on-base so he was going to wait for them at the park instead. To say that this worried the older bots was pretty close to the truth. The group hurried as best as possible to the empty park (all the civilians were over at the beach) where they found the yellow Camaro parked in the shade of a fir tree. A young teen with tan skin was leaning against it. He was wearing black jeans, a yellow shirt under a yellow-striped black jacket and a pair of black/yellow sneakers. He had his back turned to them, apparently in conversation with someone. Lennox stepped out of Ironhide's alt. mode and approached the teen who looked over his shoulder at them with bright baby blue eyes.

"Hey Bee, everything alright? You had us worried back there."

"Yeah, everything's fine. Why?"

Bumblebee turned to them, revealing his companion. They froze. The person the scout was talking to was not a human! If anything, it looked like a seven foot tall Cybertronian, complete with gold and silver armor and a gold mask on his face.

"Bee, get away from that Con now!" Ironhide barked as Lennox and Epps trained their guns on the creature. It looked worriedly at Bee.

"What's going on?" Lennox was startled at the small frightened voice that it spoke in. As he looked it over, he could see that this creature was very young, possibly around the same age as Bee. Speaking of the scout, he had stepped in front of the guns, shielding the creature.

"Bumblebee, stand down." Optimus ordered. He, as the other bots, had activated his holoform and now stood in a semi-circle around Bee and the golden being.

Bee shook his head stubbornly. "Apologies sir, but I will not let you harm my friend."

"Why would you befriend a Con?" Jazz gaze darkened. Bee held and reflected the gaze.

"Why do you insist that he's a Con?"

"He's the same type of Decepticon that attacked Linda at the beach yesterday." Sideswipe was getting annoyed with the scout's behavior and could feeling his twin's longing for payback increasing his own.

"Takanuva is no Con! He's a Toa from another planet. His six older brothers went missing a few weeks of his time ago and he was looking for them when he suddenly found himself on the highway. I nearly ran him over on my way to rendezvous with you guys and because I knew I had no way of sneaking him on base without causing a ruckus amongst the humans, I decided to wait in a place where no humans would be around to introduce him to you." The teen's shoulders heaved as he struggled to calm himself down. He closed his eyes to regain his composition and hold back his angry tears when he felt a friendly squeeze on his shoulder. He looked over to see the Toa smiling gratefully at him. He smiled back.

"Bumblebee speaks the truth, sir. I have no idea how I came to be in this world. All I know is that I was searching for my missing Toa brothers when suddenly, I find myself on a strange black path decorated with white marks."

"I see." Cobalt gazed steadily into golden red. The silence stretched out as everyone let the information sink in. With a startled gasp, Ratchet spoke up. "Prime, if what they say is true, then the Decepticons on the beach were actually the missing Toa!"

**_:_**_Hey Prowler, ya think that was what Linda was going tah tell us earlier?:_ Jazz had a sinking feeling in his spark about all of this as he watched the conversation that resulted from Ratchet's outburst.

_:Possibly. I have a feeling she was about to say the word 'Toa' before the alarms went off.:_ Prowl pondered something over. His gaze went to Takanuva. The young Toa looked exceedingly worried on the verge of panic_. :But how did she know about them? The way she objected made it sound like she was very familiar with them.:_

_:Like she was protecting 'em.:_ Prowl could hear the realization in his friend's voice. _:I don' know Prowler. I just don' know. We'll have tah ask her when we get back.:_

Prowl pinged him his acknowledgement when he heard Prime give the order to roll out. Takanuva rode with Bumblebee while Lennox and Epps climbed back into Ironhide. The procession had been on the highway for about an hour and no one had yet to say anything; they were still trying to get over how wrong they had been. The silence was broken when Bee heard some humming next to him. His holoform looked over to see Takanuva resting his head in his hand, looking out the window with an almost longing look in his eyes. Bee could only imagine how worried Taka was for his brothers' safety. Bee was sure, if their positions were switched, he would be terrified for his friends.

"Tha's a pretty tune, Taka." Jazz's voice came over the radio, lightly startling the Toa. "What song is it?"

Taka blinked a few times before registering the question. "Hmm? Oh, that? It's just a song that the Turaga, our elders, would sing from time to time. Only Turaga Nuju knows the precise pitch."

"What do you mean, "precise pitch"?" Bee silently chuckled. It wasn't every day that the saboteur was confused about music.

"According to Turaga Nuju, the song is actually a result of his youngest sister's vocal practice. She sang that song to let him know she was there and loved to sing it all that time. It was her favorite tune." The mournful tone in Taka's voice did not go unnoticed nor did the tear that Bee saw run down the Toa's mask.

"Taka, are you okay?"

The Toa quickly wiped away the tears. "Yeah. I'm fine." That would've sounded convincing if his voice hadn't cracked.

"Takanuva?" The soft , fatherly tone of Prime's voice made more tears run down Taka's mask. "What is wrong?" Taka took a few breaths to calm himself down a bit before answering.

"I just…I miss her. I miss Seaqua."

"Who is Seaqua?" Prowl's voice was also calming. He wasn't trying to pry, he was just curious. It reminded Takanuva of what Jaller had said years ago, that keeping the pain hidden within was only hurting himself; he needed to tell someone. Well, Taka decided that now was the time.

"Seaqua…was a Toa. A Toa of Lightning. She was the youngest of the Toa Metru, the Toa team before us. She was brave, beautiful and highly talented in music. She adored her Toa brothers very much and would do anything to protect them. According to the Turaga, she was washed ashore in Ga-Metru where she was found by Toa Lhikan Mangai, the last Toa of the island of Metru Nui. He took her in and adopted her as his daughter. But due to the constant threat of the Dark Hunters and wild Rahi…"

"Rahi?" If everyone was in their bipedal modes, they would've glared at the silver twin. Sunstreaker must have Gibbs-smacked him over their bond cause Sides let out a grunt of pain before muttering an apology. Taka chuckled.

"It's alright. Rahi is Matoran for wildlife, basically anything that is not a Matoran , Toa or Turaga."

Bee piped up. "Like animals, birds and plants?" Taka nodded.

"Exactly."

Bee nodded and motioned for him to continue. "Due to the constant threat of the Dark Hunters and wild Rahi, Lhikan had no choice but to turn custody of his young daughter over to a trusted friend, a Ta-Matoran mask maker named Vakama. Vakama agreed to look after her for his friend. At first, everything was fine but because Seaqua was the adventurous type, she was soon running off all over the island, successfully scaring Vakama out of his wits." The last statement got several chuckles as the older bots remembered going through the same thing with the younglings.

"Well, at least at first. Come to find out, all that exploring gained her a lot more friends who could look out for her when Vakama was working so he relaxed after a few weeks. She made nineteen friends in all: Nokama, Hahli and Maku from Ga-Metru, Onewa, Hewkii, and Hafu from Po-Metru, Whenua, Onepu, and Nuparu from Onu-Metru, Matau, Kongu and Tamaru from Le-Metru, Nuju, Kopeke and Matoro from Ko-Metru and Vakama, Jaller, Kopeke and Takua from Ta-Metru.

Jazz let out a low whistle. "Mech, tha's a lotta friends. Yah sure she didn't befriend tah whole island?"

Taka burst out laughing. "No, though it sometimes felt like it. Toa Lhikan was well-beloved by all Matoran and since Seaqua was his daughter, the Matoran she didn't know very well respected her. She had fun with her friends and father and learned much from them. Her first three years were very happy indeed. But the happiness did not last. Seaqua began to notice that the Matoran were vanishing and there seemed to be a heavy darkness hovering over the island. Worried, she went to talk to Lhikan but she couldn't find him anywhere. Disappointed and not in the mood to travel, she returned home and spent the day watching Vakama working on a new mask at his forge, sometimes helping him here and there. But imagine her surprise when her father suddenly shows up and hands Vakama something, telling the two of them the "save the heart of Metru Nui". Before they could ask him to explain what he meant, two Dark Hunters, Krekka and Nidhiki, attacked and captured Lhikan."

Bee felt his spark go out to little Seaqua. To have such a happy life stolen from her so soon, he could relate. He, Bluestreak and the Terror Twins had all lost what little happy lives they had before the war. He remembered when Ironhide had found him among the rubble of the youth center, surrounded by the grey frames of his friends and teachers and the grief he had felt when he was told his creators were both off-line. Blinking back tears, he gave a mental shake of his head and returned his attention to the story.

"Vakama opened Lhikan's gift to reveal a red Toa stone and a map to the Toa Suva. Following the map, they left their home, not knowing when they would return. Upon arrival, they found that they were not the only ones chosen. Nuju, Nokama, Matau, Whenua and Onewa were there as well and together they were all transformed into the Toa Metru."

"Whoa, so cool!" Sideswipe breathed in awe as he listened intently to the story. Over their bond, his brother echoed his amazement.

"Yes, very cool. But despite that one upside, things went south very quickly. They soon discovered that they had been betrayed by their own leader, Turaga Dume, and were now being hunted themselves. Whenua, Nuju and Onewa were captured while Nokama, Matau, Seaqua and Vakama escaped. They reunited in the tunnels under Po-Metru and found that all but Vakama and Seaqua had found their mask powers. But the seven Toa were not alone. Turaga Lhikan was with them."

"Excuse me?" It was Ironhide this time. "Turaga Lhikan? I thought he was a Toa?"

"He was a Toa. For our people, when a Toa loses his or her powers, they become Turaga, our elders and leaders. When Vakama and the others became Toa, Lhikan was drained of his powers and became a Turaga."

Ironhide hummed, thinking over the information.

Epps took the break to speak up. "Sorry to interrupt story time, but we're almost at the coordinates Prime. Just ten more miles left."

"Ten miles?!" Bee snickered silently. He could've sworn Jazz had nearly jumped a mile on his tires. "We've already gone tha far?"

"Apparently so." Prowl sounded like he was trying not to laugh either. "I believe the human phrase is, "Time flies when you are having fun"."

Lennox rolled his eyes. "Having a good time, actually. But you were pretty close there, Prowl."

Takanuva listened to the exchange with a smile. It reminded him of all the rib-jabbing and debates he and the others would have. He laid a hand over his heartlight as he felt a slight jab of pain in his chest. Mata Nui, he missed them terribly. _Please, be alright guys._

"..ka? Taka? Takanuva?!"

"Yeah?" Taka turned his head to see Bee looking at him, worriedly.

"You okay? Optimus was talking to you."

The Toa felt his face heat in embarrassment and was certain that his mask was now as red as Tahu's. "Yeah, I'm fine." Raising his voice, he addressed the radio. "My apologies, I was just thinking about my friends, that's all."

"You are worried about their well-being, it is understandable." The baritone voice made Taka smile a bit. "I was asking if you would tell us more about the Toa Metru."

"Yeah! Did they rescue the Matoran? Why did Dume betray them? How did..?"

"SIDES, SHUT UP!" This time, there was an audible crunch of metal on metal.

"Ow, slaggit, Sunny! You dented my bumper!"

"Keep it up and next time, it'll be your hood!"

"The both of you keep it up and I'll weld your afts to the ceiling!

Takanuva shook with restrain laughter. "Are they always this way?"

"You have no idea." Ironhide's voice rumbled in silent laughter. "Now hurry up and finish the story."

Taka laughed out loud. "Alright, alright. We were in the tunnels under Po-Metru, right?" Several affirmatives over the radio and Bee's nod were his answer. "Alright, let's see. Ah yes, as it turned out, Lhikan was not the only Turaga in the tunnels. When Vakama accidentally opened a sphere-like canister nearby, they found the real Turaga Dume asleep inside. Realizing that the Dume they had been trusting was a fake, the Toa and Turaga fled back to the surface and straight for the Coliseum. But they were too late, the fake Turaga had placed that last of the Matoran into those sphere containers. The fake Turaga revealed himself to actually be Makuta Teridax, a being who was sworn to protect the Matoran. But he was greedy and power-mad. Therefore he placed a spell over Mata Nui, the Great Spirit, causing him to fall into a deep slumber. The Toa found where all the sleeping Matoran were being held but due to the vast number, they could not rescue them all right then and there. They loaded a few on a Vahki transport and made their getaway. Unfortunately, that meant crossing the Sea of Protodermis and they had only gone halfway when Makuta himself arrived to stop them. Nuju used his mask power of telekinesis to get Vakama and Seaqua up to the top of a cliff to confront Makuta. Seaqua stayed by her older brother's side as he used the Kanohi Vahi, the Mask of Time, against Makuta. Unfortunately, Vakama had not mastered control over the mask and while it slowed down Makuta's attack, it also slowed the Toa down as well. The two would have perished if it had not been for Turaga Lhikan. He sacrificed his life to pull the Toa out of the way of the blast. Before he passed, he told Vakama how proud he was to fight alongside him. Then he told Seaqua how proud he was to have her as his daughter. He made them promise that they would always look after one another. Then after handing Vakama his mask, Turaga Lhikan died."

At this point, the grief was very tangible as the listening bots and humans silently mourned the passing of an elder they had never met and yet, felt like they had always known. The sensation brought back to their memories mentors and father-figures that they had looked up to growing up and how heartbroken they had felt when they had passed.

"But the battle wasn't over yet." Takanuva was saying. "Strengthened by Lhikan's final words, Vakama and Seaqua finally managed to activate their mask powers, which happened to be the same mask. A Kanohi Huna, a mask of Concealment." Sensing the confusion, he clarified. "They were able to become invisible." Noises of understanding were heard and Taka took it as the cue to continue.

"Using their mask powers, they fought against the Makuta. Soon the other Toa arrived and together, they sealed Makuta away in a prison of solid protodermis. The Toa proceeded to the other side of the Great Barrier with the few Matoran capsules they had and came to a new island they named after the Great Spirit. After exploring the island for possible locations to build a new home, the Toa returned to Metru Nui to rescue the Matoran. But when they got back, their beautiful city was covered in green webs and crawling with every type of rare, dangerous and poisonous Rahi ever found. Seaqua was worried about this mission mainly because Vakama was being cocky. He was letting the leadership role get to his head and she felt he wasn't thinking things through enough, so she tended to stay closer to Nuju and Nokama. And she was right about the mission going awry. No sooner had they gone four paces that they were captured and poisoned by spider-like Rahi called the Visorak."

Jazz felt a shudder run down his back-struts. _Poisoned? Man, can't these Toa catch a break?__I just hope this story ends on a happy note._

**A/N ****_I just want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed and favorite my story so far. It really keeps me going. I hope you guys are enjoying it as much as I am writing it. Thanks again! :D See ya next chapter!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**OMG! I can't believe I am actually posting this on my birthday today! *joyful laughter***

**I do not own Shadowland. **

"The venom of the Visorak mutated the Toa, transforming them into half-Toa, half-beast creatures called Toa Hordika. They were about to be killed when they were saved by the Rahaga, an older Toa team who had been mutated long ago by Roodaka, the Visoraks' malevolent queen. The Rahaga told them of a mythical Rahi named Keetongu who could counteract any and all poisons. Sadly, due to strife amongst the Hordika, Vakama went off to save the Matoran on his own. Seaqua followed after him, spurred on by her promise to her late father and her annoyance with the others. She caught up with him in time for both to be captured again and brought before Roodaka. The queen offered them their home and old lives back as well as giving Vakama command over the Vihsorak horde. Giving into the dark side, they agreed and, at Roodaka's command, attacked and captured five of the Rahaga, to bring before Sidorak, the Visorak leader, to convince him of their worth."

_Oh no, I can't believe they did that! _Sideswipe thought to himself, wisely keeping his vocalizer off. _I do hope the others can get Vakama and Seaqua to see reason._

_Please tell me they come back. Their Toa, it's their duty to save the Matoran. Even if their teammates drive them nuts. _Sunstreaker soaked in every word the Toa of Light said, desperate to know the outcome and praying that the Toa Metru come on top. Unknown to him, the other listeners were also doing the same.

"Now two members short, the remaining Toa Hordika and Rahaga journey on to find Keetongu, following new information found before the attack. They journey throughout all Metru Nui to Ko-Metru and find the Rahi who offers his help in the upcoming battle against the hordes. They return to the coliseum and face off against the Visorak, Keetongu killed Sidorak, Matau managed to remind Vakama and Seaqua of their duty to the Matoran and their team," A collective sigh of relief was heard as the tension in the air eased. _Wow, didn't know they were __**that **__tense._ With a mental shake, Taka continued.

"They reunited with their Toa brothers, defeated Roodaka and freed the other Rahaga. The battle won, Keetongu restored the Toa Metru, except Seaqua. Instead of completely curing her, remnants of the poison remained in her body, giving her the ability to transform back into a Hordika at her own will."

"So basically, it's her new alt. mode?"

Takanuva glanced at Bee, mulling over the question. Then he remembered what the scout had told him about Cybertronians and transformations. He nodded.

"Yes, that's quite correct Bee." He smiled. "And like you, it took much practice and great patience for her to control it. Her brothers helped her as best they could and encouraged her progress. By the time they departed Metru Nui with the rest of the Matoran to Mata Nui, Seaqua had mastered the transformation process. Sadly though, she stood by and watched as the other Toa sacrificed their powers to awaken the Matoran, thus becoming Turaga and making her the Last Toa."

"Much like her father." Rachet muttered softly.

"Exactly like her father." Optimus agreed. Everyone fell silent as they digested the information. But before any comment could be made; the scanners alerted them that they had arrived to their destination. The team rolled to a stop a few feet away. A quick recon of the facility revealed four entrances large enough that even Optimus in his semi-truck form could easily enter.

It was decided that they split into four groups of two: Sunstreaker and Sideswipe would take the East entrance, Prowl and Jazz would take the West entrance, Optimus and Ratchet would take the North and Ironhide and Bumblebee the South. Lennox and Epps went with Hide while Takanuva decided to go with Optimus and Ratchet. The human soldiers spread out to secure the perimeter while the Bots entered the building to investigate the signal. No sooner had they driven into the entryway that all four doors slammed shut behind them, trapping all eight Autobots , their two human and one Toa friends inside.

Transforming, the Bots proceeded with caution. The tunnels were semi-dark; aged, yellow lamps set along the walls cast an eerie glow on the teams. Bumblebee trailed closer to the Weapon Specialist, optics darting around. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. _There's nothing there. Everything's fine. It's just the lights. There's nothing to be afraid of. There's no such thing as…_A low moan reached the already worked up scout's audios. _Ghosts. _He gulped.

"BbbbuuuUUUuummmmbbbbllleeBbbEeeeee."

"What was that?" The Camaro's helm jerked around trying to find the source. His vents steadily increased and his armor began to rattle.

"BbbbuuuUUUuummmmbbbbllleeBbbEeeeee."

It sounded closer now. Bee reached out to tap Ironhide on the shoulder, only to find the mech was gone! Cue full blown freak out.

"Ironhide?! Ironhide, where are you!"

"Boo!"

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Screaming, the scout folded into his alt. mode and peeled down the tunnel, nearly going 150 miles per hour. With a smirk, Ironhide stepped out of the shadows with the two human soldiers in his hands. Lennox and Epps were leaning against each other for support, their faces red with laughter. The group followed the scout but at a more sensible pace.

_:Ironhide? Why did I just hear Bumblebee scream like a little femme?: _Prowl's voice was a bit tight while the snickering in the background told the black mech that Jazz was halfway to the floor in hysterics.

_:Hey guys?: _It was Sideswipe. _:Anyone care to explain why Sunny and I were nearly run over by a yellow Camaro doing nearly two hundred and screaming like a banshee?:_

Ironhide worked to keep the laughter out of his voice. "I have no idea. Maybe he saw one of those human spirits or something."

The two men's laughter had settled down to snickering behind their hands or arms. Oh man, that was just too good. Poor Bee. He was not going to be happy with them, but seeing the look on his faceplates was so worth it.

Takanuva's voice chuckled over the comm. _:It was probably Seaqua. She loved to play pranks on her friends. Managed to one up on Matau several times.:_

The line fell silent at the Toa's words. No one knew how to react to that. Surprisingliy, it was Sunstreaker who spoke the question on everyone's mind.

_:You mean…Seaqua is…she's dead?: _There was a pregnant pause as they waited, and dreaded, the answer.

_:Yes.:_

That one word sent eight sparks plummeting to the ground and broke two human hearts as they realized that the girl they had heard so much about had followed her father's footsteps to the end.

_:It was an attack on Ta-Metru. She was outnumbered and though she fought with all her might, she was overcome and badly wounded. She succumbed to her injuries the next morning. But that was a long time ago, long before the Toa Nuva arrived and I became Toa.:_

_:Hold on, whaddya mean yah became a Toa?: _ Man, Jazz had to have been seriously shaken by the news in order to ask such a silly question.

_:He means he was a Matoran before.: _Was Ironhide hearing things or did he catch a slight crack in the tactician's voice? _:Isn't that correct, Takanuva?:_

_:You are correct Prowl. Once upon a time, I was simply known as Takua the Chronicler.:_

Epps straightened. "Hold up! Did you just say Takua?"

_:Yes.:_ A hint of humor was evident in his voice.

But Epps wasn't done yet. "As in Takua, one of Seaqua's oldest friends, Takua? That Takua?!"

The Toa was laughing now_. :One and the same, Epps. One and the same.:_

Silence once again reigned over the comm. links as everyone let the information sink in and realized that, while Takanuva looked young, he was actually old. Maybe even as old as Optimus Prime.

Suddenly, Bee's voice shouted excitedly over the comms. _:Hey guys, where are you?!:_

_:We're still in the tunnels. Why? What's going on?: _ Lennox couldn't help but smile at the tone. Prime sounded like a concerned father right there. And it didn't help that the scout didn't give him a straight answer.

_:Well, hurry up! You gotta see this!: _Ironhide sped up to a light jog. The comm. cackled to life again.

_:Holy Primus!: _That was Sideswipe._: We see them too!: _

_:I do too!:_

_:Takanuva, wait!:_ Ratchet's voice sounded faint. The Toa of Light must've run off and the medic had gone after him.

_:They're in the tunnels!: _Prowl reported.

_:Looks like their showin' us tah way out.: _That was Jazz.

"Ironhide, there!" At his charge's cry, the Weapons Specialist looked to see three ribbons of colored light twisting and slithering in the air ahead of them. He stilled as one drew near. It was bluish white and glowed in a manner that said it meant no harm. It glided over his plating, loosely wrapping itself around his neck. He could've sworn that it had nuzzled him before leaving to join its red and gold counterparts.

_:Hide, do you see them too?: _Primus, Bumblebee sounded like a human kid on Christmas.

"If you're referring to the colored ribbons of light? Then yes, we see them."

_:Follow them, they'll lead you out of the tunnels.: _Optimus terminated the link.

As if on cue, the lights seemed to beckon to them which the black mech gladly did. He ran after the lights, staying as close as possible but not too close that he might run into them (can you run into light?) if they stopped. When they exited the tunnel into a room that was better lit, the lights disappeared. Looking around, the group saw that Optimus, Ratchet and Takanuva were waiting for them. Ironhide couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him at the sight of Bumblebee trying to catch a green ribbon of light behind Optimus. Honestly, the kid could act like such a sparkling sometimes. The twins arrived a few minutes after them closely followed by Prowl and Jazz. Ironhide let the two humans down to the ground where they greeted Takanuva who left his place beside Prime's pede.

"Where are we?" Lennox asked. Suddenly, the doors slammed shut around them.

Epps threw his hands up in the air. "Oh, come on! Not again!"

Suddenly the lights brightened, earning shouts of pain as it rendered everyone momentarily blind. When their vision was restored, they were surprised to find that they were in a circular chamber that was big enough to hold two Yankee football stadiums side by side. One half of the circle was stocked high with blinking computers while the other half was lined with multiple tables covered in beakers, test tubes, notes, papers, sample slides, microscopes, basically everything you would find in a science laboratory.

"Well, that answers that question." Lennox muttered as he did a full three-sixty, nearly colliding with Jazz's pede. "Whoops, sorry man."

Jazz merely chuckled. "It's alright, Will."

Takanuva stilled as he felt a familiar heat wave roll over him. "They're here. I know it."

Sunstreaker looked down at him. "How do you know?"

"Tahu is the Toa of Fire. He radiates heat." Takanuva spun in a circle. "I felt it. He's close. And where he is, they others are not far behi.." He caught sight of a group of large cylinders positioned around a central pedestal. That's when he noticed the symbols. On each canister was a different mark surrounded by smaller glyphs. Takanuva recognized them.

"Brothers!" He shouted as he ran for the circle, drawing his companions' attention to them.

"Takanuva ,wait!" Jazz's warning came too loate as the Toa rammed smack into something which repelled him, throwing him backwards. He landed on his back, slightly dazed. Optimus bent down to help him up.

"Are you undamaged Takanuva?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Optimus. Thanks." But Optimus didn't remove his servo until the Toa had regained his balance. Taka rubbed his head. "What was that? It had quite a punch."

"That, my friend, is my electrical force field."

The group looked to see a man walk out from behind one of the canisters. He was tall, about 6"5', had on a grey shirt, black slacks and dress shoes and wore a white lab coat. His dirt brown eyes held some sort of mirth in them as he ran a hand through his dark brown, short cropped hair. He walked up to them but stopped five feet away. He rapped his knuckles in the air, setting of ripples of electricity that spread ten feet above him and twenty back. Jazz let out a low whistle.

"Tha's quite tah force field." There was no way they would be getting through that. The shield was far too strong, and having an electrical current running through it, Taka was lucky he was still alive.

"Why thank you. It is quite the master piece if I do say so myself. Name's Hanes, Professor Mark Hanes," The guy looked so smug, it made Lennox want to hurl.

"So what, pray tell, brings the army and their giant robots to my humble abode?"

Ratchet laid a servo on the black mech's shoulder to keep him from doing something rash as Lennox stepped forward to address the man.

"Our sensors detected a powerful energy spike in this location. Also, we have reason to believe that six Toa are in this facility as well. We are here to take them home."

Hanes features darkened slightly before putting on a confused expression. "I don't know of this energy spike that you speak of nor of these "Toa". You must be mistaken."

Takanuva leaped forward in rage and would have rammed into the shield again if Lennox hadn't grabbed him.

"Takanuva, no!"

"Liar! You have them right there! In those canisters! You're using their elemental powers to create the force field!" The young Toa struggled to get out of the Major's grip as he glared daggers at the professor.

A malicious gleam entered Hanes' eyes. "Even if that's true, little Toa, you will not be able to free them."

Takanuva went still as fear crept into his heart. "What?"

"The only way you will be able to unlock the containers is to sing the words of a certain melody. A melody you know very well." The sneer on the man's face sent shivers down Taka's back but that wasn't what really bothered him. _A melody I know very well? He can't mean.._

"No. You're talking about Seaqua's song aren't you?" A nod was his reply. "But I don't know the words! No one does! She never sang them!" He panicked. If he didn't figure out the lyrics soon, he'll never get his friends back.

"Not my problem. It wouldn't matter anyway even if you did know the song. You can't even get through my force field." Hanes taunted. Ironhide was about to take a shot at the shield when the man's laughter sputtered to a stop as a faint sound rumbled through the room.

"Is that…thunder?"

Everyone stopped to listen. At first, it sounded like Hide's cannons warming up, but they weren't even out so…an airplane? No, no airports anyway nearby and they don't fly over this part of airspace so…yep, definitely thunder. But the sky was clear, how can there be thunder? Sunstreaker felt something on his pede and looked down to see Takanuva leaning against him as if all his strength had drained out of him. Kneeling down, the golden frontliner gently placed a hand around the trembling Toa.

"Taka, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

"The thunder." Taka gasped. "Listen to the thunder."

Before Sunny or the others could ask what he meant, the thunder started up again, closer this time. Prowl listened closely and froze at what he heard. There was a melody, a vocal melody being sung in the thunder! And the melody was the same as the tune Takanuva had been humming earlier! He turned to Jazz who nodded. He heard it too. As the thunder and tune faded, it was replaced with the steadily approaching sound of clicking heels. Everyone turned to see a figure in black robes materialize in the room. It walked up to the electric force field and stood there quietly. Hanes scowled at the figure. He couldn't make anything out with all the fabric, especially with the hood up. It looked like the ghost of Christmas Past.

"What do you want?" He growled.

Wordlessly, the figure raised its arms. Manicured, feminine hands hovered over the shield by mere inches. Everyone jumped at the volume of the voice that flowed from the being.

"Lea Halalela!

And where the journey may lead me

Oh, the prayers will be my guide"

The hands began to glow as the shield's power seemed to be absorbed by the figure, weakening it til it completely disappeared.

"Though it may take me so far away

I'll remember my pride!"

Six beeps sounded from the canisters behind the professor, followed by six green lights. They opened to reveal the missing Toa.

"Ngizobuya bo! Ngizobuya bo!

I will return, I will return!"

Everyone was shocked. The professor had said that the only way to unlock them was to sing the words of Seaqua's song but like Taka had mentioned, no one knew the lyrics so how..?

"Oh, beso bo. Ngizobuya bo. I will return.

Ngizobuya bo

Ooh, ngi-ngizobuya bo

Beso bo, my people

Beso bo."

Speaking of the professor, he was fuming. He had chosen the perfect tune that no one in the universe would know. How then did this person know the correct song to sing? He wheeled on the figure, features tight with rage.

"Who the Karzahni are you?!" He bellowed.

_Karzahni._ Prowl perked up. _"Scrap it all to Karzahni!"_ There was that word again. _ But how is it that Professor Hanes knows that word?_ He mused it over in his processor. _But then again, how did Linda know…_

_"He placed a spell over MataNui, the Great Spirit."_

_"Mata Nui, how long will this go one?"_

_"She adored her Toa brothers very much."_

_"They weren't Cons guys!"_

_"The way she objected made it sound like she was very familiar with them_

_The flash of light when he had left his office…_

That light. It was identical to the light that appeared when Linda had been revived and when the cloacked figure disappeared from the conference room! His intakes hitched as his wings tingled with a familiar current. That current. The only time he ever felt traces of it was when Linda was nearby. _But that means…_ He immediately ran his scans over the figure, made some comparisons…and nearly glitched.

Height: Match

Weight: Match

Gender: Match

Voice Recognition: Match

_No, it can't be._ His optics traveled over the figure and froze on its hands. Red burn marks that tattooed the tan skin around the palms and wrists screamed the truth at him.

"How rude of me, I haven't properly introduced myself." The hands moved up to remove the hood and unclasp the cloak, letting the fabric pool around her feet, revealing a young woman in her early twenties. Her shoulder-length brown hair was streaked with crimson and gold and drawn up in a high ponytail with a silver hair ribbon while a silver circlet wrapped around her forehead. She was dressed in a fitted, sapphire-rimmed, white one shoulder top that showed her abdomen, a matching pair of shorts that reached mid-thigh and white knee-high boots with silver heels. On her arms were silver wristlets engraved with strange (Matoran) glyphs. The mark of the Three virtues shown in golden glory from her bare shoulder for all to see. Small jolts of lightning danced across her fingers and some of the tendrils gathered behind her to form a pair of blue, angelic wings on her back.

Prowl's optics widened in recognition. The wings! Those were the same wings as the figure from the convention room! Golden amber eyes watch calmly as Hanes reels back in shock, his face as white as a sheet while behind her, Takanuva collapsed to his knees, tear-filled eyes locked on the person before him in disbelief.

"I am Toa Seaqua Metru, Spirit of Lightning, and I have come for the Toa Nuva."


	8. Chapter 8

_"__I am Toa Seaqua Metru, Spirit of Lightning, and I have come for the Toa Nuva."_

For a long moment, Autobots, humans and the freed Toa could do nothing but stare in awe at the living legend before them.

"Is that…her?" Onua asked.

"It is! That's her!" Kopaka confirmed in a rare show of excitement.

"She's alive!" Lewa cheered.

"I don't believe it!" Pohatu gasped.

"Believe it brother, she's back!" Tahu grinned widely.

"It's true. Our sister has been restored to us!" Tears of joy fell down Gali's mask.

"No way. Seaqua is a human?" Sideswipe dead-panned, resetting his optics multiple times til Ratchet smacked his helm to get him to stop.

"Seaqua is Linda?" Sunstreaker looked like his lower jaw was about to fall off.

Jazz glanced at Prowl. The Praxian just looked so calm over the revelation. The saboteur mentally shrugged it off; most likely he had figured out the truth before the big reveal. Seaqua, aka Linda, turned around and flashed them that bright grin they knew so well. "Hey guys!" She called cheerfully.

"Is that really you Linda?" Optimus asked. She beamed up at him as her wings disappeared, giggling as she nodded. Optimus was about to say something else but was interrupted by an enraged shout.

"Imposter! Toa Seaqua is dead, I killed her myself!"

Professor Hanes ran over to a nearby console and smashed one of the buttons.

"You are not her!"

A powerful blast shot out from a concealed panel. Seeing it, she unleashed a shaft of lightning to counter it. At first, it seemed to hold it off. But then, the two contradicting forces began to weave and encircle each other, resulting in a lightning tornado in which she was the center!

"Linda!" Prowl struggled to get up as he reached out to her. If she stayed in the vortex any longer, she'll die! He couldn't lose her again! He refused! But before he could get any closer, he pulled back by Ironhide and Sideswipe.

"Are you crazy?!" The black mech yelled over the roaring wind. "Get close enough to that and you'll be off-lined permanently!"

"But Linda's in there!" The Praxian struggled to free himself, only to find he was firmly held back.

"There's no helping her now." Sideswipe watched as the storm seemed to get worse by the minute. Spotting movement from the corner of his optic, he shifted his gaze to see a shield form around the Toa Nuva. It seemed to originate from the red Toa. He peered through the shield and met the Toa's gaze. Tahu, seeing that the large silver Toa was looking at him with concern, sent him a reassured look. Satisfied, the titan nodded and offered him a smile before turning back to the storm.

Suddenly, an explosion of light became visible in the heart of funnel. It seemed to merge with the wind, turning the twister into a tornado of blue fire. The professor sought shelter from behind two other consoles. "What's happening?! What's going on?!"

From his refuge behind Optimus, Epps managed to spare a glance at the device in his hands. He did a double-take. "The energy readings are off the scale!" He yelled over to Lennox who was helping Takanuva to not fly away with the wind. "Whatever it is, it's more powerful than anything we've ever seen!"

"Ratchet?" Optimus turned to his friend in hopes that he might have found something, anything.

"Sorry Prime. The electricity is messing with the readings."

Whatever else that was going to be said was forgotten as the funnel instantly dispersed with a crack of lightning to reveal a cocoon of blue diamond hovering five feet off the ground. Prowl felt his spark sink with dread. "No," he silently pleaded. "Not again. Please not again."

Hanes had a conceited look on his face as he approached from his hiding place. But he had only taken four steps when his smile dropped. Ribbons of colored lightning crackled and slithered along the surface of the cocoon. No one moved as everyone held their breaths, unsure of what was transpiring before them.

"LIGHTNING STRIKE!"

In a burst of light, the cocoon exploded, sending shards of electrified crystals everywhere.

"Watch out!" Several cries rang out as everyone hit the ground or dove for cover to avoid the sharp projectiles. After they were sure that the shower was over, everyone got to their feet, howbeit a bit shakily.

"Everyone alright?" Lennox asked.

"If you mean not turned into a human shish-kabob or pin cushion?" Epps nervously eyed the fairly sizable shard wedged into one of the consoles. "Then yeah, we're fine."

Chuckling softly, Lennox turned to their large friends. "Optimus?"

"All Autobots are accounted for and unharmed, though I cannot say the same for the professor."

His gesture directed everyone's gaze back to the human in question who stood frozen; staring wide-eyed at the girl crouched before him. She rose to her feet, eyes closed. Hanes called out for his guards to attack her. As said guards advanced, her eyes opened and glared at the approaching men in glowing amber fury. Her fists jerked open, her fingernails growing into sharp claws. Her right hand glowed green while she flicked her left wrist, a blade sliding into her palm. Red lips curled back into a snarl, revealing pearl fangs. Without a sound, she jerked forward with surprising speed. She slashed the first five with her right hand, slit the throat of the next seven with the dagger, and bit down on the throats of the last four, snapping their necks before releasing. She looked around to insure her prey was dead while replacing the dagger in the sheath attached to her upper arm. She turned her head slowly towards the professor, looking steadily at him with a knowing look.

"Makuta Mutran." The voice that came from her lips seeped with venom. "Years ago, I warned you that should you threaten or harm any of those I hold dear, I would not hesitate to destroy you. And whereas you have failed to heed my warning, I shall not fail to carry out my promise."

Hanes simply stood dumbfounded before he began to chuckle. Then he laughed outright as his body shifted and morphed into a black, winged, ten foot tall being with eyes of Decepticon crimson.

"You're smart human, I'll give you that. I have no idea how you know me nor do I know how you can to acquire lightning powers, but that matters not. For soon, in the next ten minutes, you and your comrades will be blown sky high." Fear apparent on her face, Seaqua quickly turned her attention to the computer he had gestured to. Sure enough, on the screen of the damaged console was a timer that read nine minutes and it was counting down fast. Hanes, Mutran, steadily made his way towards the pedestal.

"Oh, don't worry the humans outside will escape, but all who are within will be destroyed. Such a pity though, I was looking forward to having all of you as my newest test subjectaaaAAAAAHHHHH!"

His words were cut off as something, more like someone, rammed into him.

"Linda!"

"Seaqua!"

The collective cries of her friends went unheeded as she struggled with her opponent. Mutran succeeded to flip her off him, intending to throw her into the wall. Instead, she straightened herself in mid-air, landed foot first with feline grace and launched herself at his turned back with lightning speed. A scream of pain ripped from his throat as blood flowed from the deep gashes on his shoulders. Whirling around, he stretched out his hands and launched…black lightning? Huh, that was a new feature. Seaqua leaped back from her crouched position on a nearby terminal onto another one three paces back. He continued to fire, following her movements until one of the gas tanks was struck. The explosion not only made a large hole in the wall, it also sent Seaqua flying to the far part of the room, where she landed on all fours. Sparing a moment, she stood and sharply turned to her friends.

"Hurry everyone, go now! Quickly, get out of here!" She ordered, gesturing to the opening, before turning back to the battle at hand. The Autobots looked at each other. Part of them wanted to leave, this was getting to dangerous, but another part of them wanted to stay and try to help their friend. Optimus caught sight of the countdown timer. He knew Seaqua had made the right call.

"Autobots, retreat!" He called.

"Yah heard the mech an' little lady," Jazz was already heading for the exit. "Let's get the Pit outta here!"

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Sunstreaker followed the saboteur, his twin on his pedes.

"Give it to 'im, kid!" Ironhide called as he followed Ratchet and Epps. Bumblebee was just about to go through when…

"Oh, no you don't!"

"Bee, look out!" Prowl managed to pull Bee back in time as rubble from the ceiling sealed the hole.

"No!" The bots turned to see the Toa of Lightning punch Mutran in the face for blocking the escape. "You'll pay for that!"

Her eyes turned completely green, the shade of poison. Without hesitation, she threw her head back and uttered an unearthly howl. It sounded like a mix between a lion's roar and a wolf's howl. She came down on her hands and morphed into the most amazing yet frightening creature anyone has ever seen. At first glimpse, one would think she was a winged lioness, except that her ears, legs and paws were those of a wolf. Her hair and clothes melted into blue fur with silver designs along her body and white highlights on the tips of her ears, tails and paws. Blood-stained ebony claws dug grooves into the concrete and blue/silver wings flared in rage as she let out another howl, a war cry that revealed retractable, ivory fangs, as she charged. The two became a tangle of legs and wings, both trying to pin the other and get at their throats.

"Hordika." Takanuva breathed in awe.

"That's her beast form?!" Lennox stared in shock, slightly pale at the creature that his friend had become.

Seaqua jerked away from her opponent and crouched to the ground, slowly circling as Makuta mirrored her. She pounced on his back only to hit the ground. The sudden weight on her back told her where he went. She jerked and bucked, trying to get him off her as white hot pain erupted from her shoulders and neck. In a rage, she whipped her sharp tail and cracked it over Mutran's back, surprising him into releasing. The Makuta stumbled back, rubbing the area on his mask where her tail had struck. Seaqua charged and rammed her head into his chest, turning slightly so that her teeth could grab an arm. Mutran let out a roar and slashed at her with his other arm. She let go and backed away a bit, glancing down at her shoulder to see four bleeding gashes. Mutran took the chance and turned swiftly, smashing a long, metal pole (where the blazes did that come from?!) in Seaqua's face, knocking her several feet to the ground. Shaking her head to ignore the major headache, she rose to meet the charging Makuta. The two collided hard. Seaqua tore into Mutran's upper back while he ripped and shredded more of her shoulders and upper back. A strike to the side forced him to back off as Seaqua struggled to breathe. Mutran pounced and slashed his claws (again, where did those come from?!) into Seaqua's wings. She threw her head back in a roar of pain and struck his forearm with her barbed tail causing him to back off again but not before he caught sight of Lennox and the others just standing there watching the fight. Seaqua followed his gaze and felt her insides freeze in realization.

"How very bold." Mutran chuckled as she immediately placed herself between him and them. "But also very foolish." He reached behind him, pulled out a weapon of some sort and released a barrage of fireballs. Seaqua lowered on her forearms as something hummed to life on her back, right between her now limp wings. She released disk after flying disk of lightning and electricity in a desperate attempt to protect her friends. She winced whenever a fireball made contact with her body, burning her. The resulting smoke and dust made it difficult to see where the next blast was coming from. Seaqua peered into the cloud, trying to make out any shape in the shadows. Suddenly, a sharp pain clutched her throat. She let out a strangled gasp as amber met crimson. The pressure tightened, pushing her to the ground. The edge of her vision was starting to darken when a blast of fire knocked the Makuta off of her. She hunched over, couching violently to clear her airways. Air began to fill her lungs, helping her breath normally. Glancing up, she smiled in thanks to the Toa of Air.

"Sister!" A warm hand rested on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

She looked up to see the seven Toa standing protectively over her. She offered a reassuring smile to the concerned Toa of Fire as the Toa of Water began to tend to the wounds on her back. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you, my brother."

Tahu smiled in relief before turning to face the Makuta. Lewa, Kopaka and Onua joined him. "We'll take it from here."

Shaking off Gali's hands, Seaqua leapt to her feet and ran past them towards the Makuta again.

"No, this is MY fight!"

They watched as she reverted to her human form and delivered a roundhouse kick to the jaw, sending the Makuta flying into one of the consoles that had not been destroyed yet. He pulled himself out of the deep impression and scowled at her.

"That's it. I have had enough of you, imposter. Now you die!" A black blade, crackling with dark energy, slides into his hand. Seaqua rolls her eyes and scoffs.

"Yeah, right. Now where have I heard that one before?" She reached behind her to bring out a blue trident, crackling with white lightning. She lazily twirled it in her hand before rubbing at a non-existent smudge. "Oh yes, you said the exact same thing just before dropping me on the rocks outside Ta-Koro that day." Now it was her turn to look smug. Mutran swallowed hard. The seven Toa, three Autobots and one human behind her looked positively murderous. Try as he might, his voice wavered in fear.

"How did you know that?"

A chuckle rumbled in Seaqua's chest and grew to a cackle. "Oh Mutran, how slow you are. You still refuse to believe it is truly me? Maybe this will jog your memory."

The silver band on her forehead began to glow. Mutran's eyes widened and the blood drained from his mask as the white glow spread throughout her body, transforming her once more. When the light receded, there stood a six foot tall Toa with blue and silver armor and wearing a blue Kanohi Huna. Mutran trembled so badly he could hardly keep his grip on his weapon. Quickly gathering what little courage he had, he steadied himself and met her gaze.

"So, it is you." His glare hardened. "How is it you are still alive?"

She smirked. "That's for me to know and you to never find out."

"Whatever." He positioned himself to attack, she followed suit. "I killed you once, what makes you think I won't do so again?" He charged but before he was close enough, a reddish barrier appeared between them. Mutran hit it hard and fell backwards some feet. Seaqua looked around in surprise as the shield disappeared.

"Because she's not alone!" Holy Mata Nui, did someone do a time jump or what? Seaqua turned to see the Toa Nuva stand alongside her and for a moment, she was back on the cliff, surrounded by the Toa Metru.

"This isn't just your fight Seaqua."

Seaqua gasped as she finally pinpointed that voice. "Takua? Is that you?" She stared in shock at the golden Toa that bore the voice of her oldest friend. He smiled and winked at her in that way that she knew all too well.

"Hey Qua. Long time, no see."

Seaqua let out a thrilled squeal as she glomped him. "Oh Mata Nui! Takua! It's really you! I don't believe it!" She laughed as tears of joy fell down her mask. Takanuva laughed also as he returned the hug, though more gently due to her wounds.

"It's great to see you again, my friend." He whispered in her ear.

She couldn't hold back the sobs as she buried her head in his shoulder. "I've missed you Takua. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." Taka let a few tears fall as he embraced her. He glanced up at the others and pulled away from her. "Oh, you haven't been introduced yet! Seaqua, I'd like you to meet Tahu, Gali, Lewa, Pohatu, Onua and Kopaka. The Toa Nuva."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Seaqua chuckled softly at Taka's ecstasy.

"We're just glad to have you back." Onua laid a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

Movement behind Pohatu caught Seaqua's attention. "Speaking of being back," her eyes widened as she realized what was in the pedestal. "Mutran's making a run for my disk!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth that said Makuta dashed for the pedestal. Something black and yellow and small beat him to it though. It came to a stop behind Seaqua, handing her the disk.

"Thanks Bumblebee!"

The scout smiled down at them as Optimus, Prowl and Lennox joined the group.

"So you have your precious disk back." All eyes glared hatefully at the Makuta. "Big deal. It's not like it can save you now. In case you haven't noticed, this place is still going to blow in less than three minutes and you have no escape."

"You do know you're stuck here with us, right?" Lennox raised an eyebrow. If they were stuck, then he was stuck. So why was he acting like this was all according to plan? Mutran simply grinned darkly at the Major.

"Oh, am I?" A dark aura with purple lightning surrounded the Makuta and just like that, he was gone.

"No!" Tahu yelled in frustration. "He got away!"

"Where did he go?" Optimus asked, looking around confusedly.

Thunderstorms raged in Seaqua's eyes and Kopaka answered. "Back to Mata Nui. No doubt he's gone back to the Brotherhood."

"Uh, guys?" Everyone looked to the nervous scout. "Not to be the bearer of bad new here but…we only have less than a minute left!"

Fear courses through Seaqua's veins as she sees that he is right. The timer was now down to ten seconds!

…9…

She thinks fast. Without hesitation, she turns to the Autobots.

…8…

"Autobots, I need you to turn on your holoforms and store your real bodies in your subspace."

…7…

At their questioning looks, she hurried on. "I've seen you do it before! Just trust me on this and do it! It's the only way we will all get out of here in time!"

…6…

The Autobots quickly comply and now four humans join the circle. Reaching up to the medallion still around her neck, she removes the jewel from its center.

…5…

"Everyone, hold hands and hang on tight. This is gonna be a bumpy ride!"

…4…

Takanuva holds onto her shoulder as she presses the gem down in the empty space.

..3…

Sending a silent prayer to Mata Nui, she speaks the activation code.

…2…

"UNITY!"

…1…

Outside, the four remaining Autobots and the soldiers of NEST watched as the facility vanished into a huge burning inferno. Ironhide fell to his knee struts, grieving the loss of his friends and charge. Ratchet looked away with a heavy spark. The Twins watched the flames lick at the air as it devoured metal, stone and timber in its feeding frenzy, unable to believe that their friends…were gone.

"It can't be." Epps fell on his backside, numb with shock. "It just can't be."

No one bothered to answer him. They didn't know what to say and honestly, they couldn't believe it themselves.

"Let's head back to base." Ratchet sighed as he turned to leave.

Sideswipe wheeled on the medic. "We can't just leave them, Ratch!"

Ratchet was about to smack Sides in the faceplates when something erupted from the fire. It flew right towards them. It came to a stop in front of Sunstreaker. Then it moved to Ratchet, Sideswipe, Ironhide and Epps.

"What is that thing?" Epps asked, getting to his feet.

"A spark?" Ironhide questioned, also rising to his pedes. Suddenly, the light grew and changed till a tall golden figure stood before them. It gazed at them with calm blue eyes.

"Primus?" Ratchet whispered, optics wide.

The figure shook its head before shifting again, this time into the shape of some kind of island. They still didn't get it. It changed once more to two words in some kind of circular glyphs before it disappeared altogether. The team stood dumbstruck for a few minutes, no one saying a word before Epps spoke the question on everyone's mind.

"What the hell just happened?"

* * *

**A/N Whew! Sweet Primus and Mata Nui, talk about tense! I hope you guys haven't turned blue out there. If you have...uh, you can breath now. *giggles* **

**Allspark Princess: I'll let Seaqua explain that one in the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N I do not own 'My Heart Will Go On'. **

Sand.

That was the first thing Prowl became aware of when he awoke. Sitting up, he gazed around in absolute wonder. He found himself on a beach, the ocean before him, a jungle behind and just to his left he could see igneous rocks left behind from an earlier lava flow. Several birds flew overhead, their cries coinciding with the crashing of the waves against the shore. Shielding his eyes, he looked up to see two suns, like golden eyes, stare down into his own sapphire gaze. He quickly looks away to avoid damaging them, but not before noticing that the suns positions dictated that it was early afternoon.

Laughter from his left caught his attention but before he could investigate, he was distracted by a moan from behind. He hadn't gone far into the jungle when he found his three friends in a small clearing. Lennox was already on his feet and already starting to scale one of the trees. Optimus was sitting up, rubbing his head as if he had hit it hard somewhere. Bumblebee was just waking up, looking a bit dazed.

"Are you alright?" Prowl walked over to kneel next to his Prime, looking him over for any serious injuries. Other than a few cuts and a slight bruise on the head, Prime was fine. He moved over to Bumblebee who was having a slight problem in getting up. Prowl steadied him until he recovered his balance. The scout nodded his thanks.

"We're fine Prowl. Just a bit discombobulated." Prime rose slowly, shaking his head to clear it. He looked his SIC over. "Are you alright?"

Prowl nodded as he released the now stable scout. "Yes. It seems we have all sustained minimal damage upon arrival."

"Wait a minute." Bumblebee made a complete three-sixty. "Where are Seaqua and the Toa?"

Optimus looked around as well, worried that his companions might be lost. Prowl was about to comment on where they could be but was interrupted by a voice from above.

"I don't know." Lennox jumped down from the tree he was in. "But what I would like to know is where we are. From what I could see up there, we might be on some type of island, though I don't recall any island that has a volcano, a snow peaked mountain, a jungle and a desert all at once." Prowl took this all in. Island? Wait, didn't Takanuva mention that his home was on an island? What was the name of it again? Prowl muttered something under his breath.

"What did you say Prowl?"

Awe-filled sapphire met confused brown. "We're on the island of Mata Nui."

Cue freak out in three, two, one. "WHAT!" Told ya.

"Are you serious?!" Bumblebee actually looked excited if not overly ecstatic. Prime, on the other hand, didn't seem so sure.

"I must've hit my head harder than I thought!" he muttered.

"Are you positive Prowl? How can we be on Mata Nui?" Now Lennox was genuinely confused. Prowl resisted the urge to grin as he explained.

"Takanuva mentioned that he and the Toa came from an island home. And as we have found out Linda, pardon me, Seaqua, lived on the same island after fleeing Metru Nui with her Toa brethren. Also Major Lennox has mentioned four of the six Matoran elements, five if you count the sea and six if you count underground. The same six elements that the Toa Nuva represent."

"And how do you know that?" Bee did recall that Takanuva did not mention anything about elements, only Seaqua's. Prowl shrugged a shoulder.

"I saw their colors and weapons and deduced their powers from there."

Duh. Bee refrained from smacking himself in the face as Prowl continued.

"Finally, there is the disk that Bumblebee recovered for Seaqua. She stated that it was hers. And with the situation being as it was at the time, it would be logical for her to bring us all to the one other place she called her home."

"Very observant Prowl." Everyone turned to see Seaqua in her human form leaning against one of the tree trunks, munching of a piece of fruit. "As always. You sure your name isn't Sherlock?" She tossed an apple to Bumblebee. Prowl smirked at her.

"Thanks Linda, I mean, Seaqua." Bee ducked his head at his blunder. Seaqua chuckled around a mouthful of mango as Takanuva, Gali and Onua came around her with food for the others.

"Oh, you haven't been properly introduced yet! Optimus, Prowl, Bumblebee, Lennox, allow me to introduce Gali, Toa of Water and Onua, Toa of Earth. You already know Taka, the Light Toa. **Gali, Onua, meet Prowl, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee of Cybertron and Lennox of Earth. They helped look after me.**"

Lennox, the Autobots and Toa exchanged greetings. Bumblebee was very happy to see Takanuva again and two settled into sharing stories of their misadventures in their respective homeworlds. The others listened, enjoying the friendly company. Onua sat next to Lennox and began to ask him about humans and their cultures. Gali noticed that Optimus was still holding the side of his head so she offered to check it. At first, Optimus was unsure, casting a weary glance to Seaqua who caught his gaze and nodded.

"Gali's a healer. If something's wrong, it's best to let her take care of it." She had a strong feeling that Nokama had taught the young water Toa everything she knows about healing.

Optimus nodded and allowed Gali to proceed in her ministrations. Seaqua went over to sit next to Prowl who was busy with a pear. She smiled as she watched him a bit before turning her attention back to the others. That's when she noticed Onua was giving her a strange look that she couldn't quite interpret and it was making her a bit uneasy. Then she noticed that Gali was giving her the same look.

"What?" she smiled nervously.

"**Nothing. I just noticed something you said."** Seaqua felt her mango go sour in her stomach. Oh boy. "**Is there a reason that you introduced Prowl first? I thought you were supposed to introduce the leader first."** Onua grinned as his older sister ducked her head and tried to focus on her food to hide her growing blush. Unfortunately, the action attracted Prowl's attention which only made her blush harder. Oh, she knew where this was going.

**"****And if I remember correctly, Takanuva mentioned that Optimus is the leader." **Gali joined in the teasing. **"****So either we misunderstood or there actually is a pretty cute reason…" **Uh-oh. Seaqua knew that look. It was the same look her human parents gave her when they teased her about having a boyfriend. _And here I thought I was going to be able to avoid it._ Thankfully, Mata Nui had pity on her as she was spared further embarrassment by a roar that was closely followed by a green blur that disappeared back into the forest. The pale figure of Kopaka stomped through the clearing after it and Seaqua nearly choked on her fruit. The ice Toa looked like a walking fruit salad! From her vantage point, she could see oranges, mangos, pears, peaches and… star fruit? What did Lewa do? Dump the entire jungle worth of fruit on him? She didn't get a chance to ask as Tahu and Pohatu stumbled into the clearing, clearly beside themselves with laughter.

"Do I even want to know?" Was all she could get out. Tahu was no help as he leaned against a tree trunk to stay upright. Pohatu seemed to be relaxing a bit as he sat down near his fire brother.

"Lewa got a bit too eager in his fruit gathering. He couldn't see where he was going and tripped on one of the branches and…" He gestured to the direction Kopaka had gone. 'Well, you saw what happened."

Everyone chuckled at the mental image. After the laughter had died down, Bumblebee asked a question that he had been wondering about ever since he met Takanuva.

"Hey, how come the Toa can understand us and we them, yet when you speak to them, we can't understand you?"

Onua took this one. "Each of us has a translation stone which helps us to understand your language and to communicate with you. Without them," he removed something from his armor, **"we'd sound like this."** He replaced the item as Seaqua picked up the conversation.

"And since I was raised by the Matoran from my childhood, I was taught to fluently read and speak the language of the Bionicle. It's good to speak it again."

"Does all Bionicle have a translation stone?" Bumblebee had been eager to meet the other Matoran but if they needed a translation stone to communicate and neither had one… that wasn't going to be a fun conversation.

Gali smiled at the scout. "No Bee. Not all Matoran have translations stones. But that does not mean that they won't understand you. When Seaqua was being taught Matoran, she in turn taught the Matoran English. But because we arrived after she…left and had to immediately jump into our duties of protecting the Matoran, we did not have time for such luxuries. We are just grateful that we had our translation stones with us when we did."

Bee turned to Takanuva. "Do you have one?"

Taka shook his head, grinning. "Nope, didn't need one. When I was Takua, Seaqua taught me English. And since we spent so much time together in Ta-Metru, I was one of the most fluent."

Seaqua snorted softly. "Drove the others nuts when we would hold entire conversations in English. They all thought we were crosswired."

Taka shared the laugh. "True that. In fact…" He was cut off by several voices approaching the group.

"I spoke-said I was sorry-wrong, brother!"

"Oh, I don't think you are sorry yet." The threat was there but the anger wasn't. They looked up to see Lewa drop in and dive behind Optimus as Kopaka arrived a few seconds later in hot (or should it be cold seeing as he's ice?) pursuit of his green quarry.

"Oh Lewa, you're gonna get it!" Pohatu laughed as Lewa ran for new cover which happened to be behind Seaqua. Kopaka formed a snowball in his hand, the corner of his mouth quirked in a barely there smirk.

"Hide me!" Lewa cried. Kopaka drew his arm back, ready to fire.

"Don't involve me in this!" Seaqua laughed as she and Prowl dodged away from Lewa, leaving him open to the frozen sphere that hit home, square in his mask. Laughter erupted as the Toa of Air faked being killed.

"Oooh, you quick-got me!" He moaned as he slowly fell to the ground. He managed to sprawl himself out in a dramatic pose when he suddenly found himself under a heap of snow. The surprised look he had on his mask when he popped his head out was so hilarious; everyone was either doubled over or fell on the floor laughing. Kopaka chuckled as he caused the snow to disappear. Lewa brushed off the few, remaining clumps that still clung to his armor before joining the circle. Happy to see everyone getting along so well, Seaqua leaned back against a tree trunk and started humming to herself. She didn't even notice which song it was until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she glanced over at Tahu.

"What's up?"

"That's the song, isn't it?" His voice was full of wonder. "That's song you always sang back then. Not the one you sang to free us."

She sat up in surprise. "You heard that?" Pohatu chuckled.

"Kinda hard not to at that volume." That earned a few chuckles.

"Right." Seaqua giggled before addressing Tahu. "And yes, Tahu, that is the song that I used to sing in Metru Nui. I heard it back on Earth when I was a child before I arrived. Back then, I only knew the melody. But I know the words now."

"Will you sing it to us? Please?" She looked up, quite startled at the request, to see the Toa looking at her with the most adorable pleading looks on their masks that she had a hard time trying not to laugh. They looked like a bunch of children begging for a story. So cute.

"Oh very well, but we better get a move on." She glanced up. "The sky's beginning to change." The Toa nodded eagerly. She heard the sound of snickering behind her but she ignored it as she began to hum. Lennox jumped as he recognized the opening notes.

"Every night in my dreams

I see you, I feel you,

That is how I know you go on"

In Ta-Koro, Vakama fiddles with a small, silver circle that dangles from a cord around his neck. He rubs his thumb over the designs etched into it, thinking about the one who gave it to him. Slowly, he wraps his hand around the band and holds it to his heartlight as tears fall from his mask.

"Far across the distance

And spaces between us

You have come to show you go on"

In Ko-Koro, Nuju held an ice crystal in his hands. But this is no ordinary ice crystal. This crystal glowed with the six colors of the Toa. He remembered when it had been given to him. It had been the day before…the event. He swallowed thickly as he cradled the crystal to his chest, tears falling from his closed eyes.

"Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on"

In Le-Koro, Matau leans against the railing as he watches the Matoran go about their daily chores. Finding a secluded spot, he pulls out a flute from his robes. He held it in his hands as if it would shatter and take the precious memories with it. Tightening his grip ever so slightly, he holds it to his chest as he raises his eyes to the heavens, letting the tears fall as he sent a silent prayer to Mata Nui.

"Love can touch us one time

And last for a life time

And never let go till we're gone"

In Ga-Koro, Nokama gently tends to a water lily in her hut. Its pedals bloom a deep blue and teal with a white center. She tenderly caresses each pedal, softly wiping away the drops of water that had not been there before.

"Love was when I loved you

One true time I hold to

In my life will always go on"

In Po-Koro, Onewa clutches a small carving of a Kikanalo to his chest. It had nearly fallen off of its place on his desk earlier. Thankfully, he had been able to catch it in time but he couldn't stop thinking of what would've happened if he hadn't…been there. His grip tightened lightly on the figurine as tears fell. If only he had gotten there sooner, none of this would've happened!

"Near, far, wherever you are

I believe that the heart does go on

Once more you open the door

And you're here in my heart

And my heart will go on and on"

In Onu-Koro, Whenua slowly flipped through the still white pages of a brown tablet. He smiled through silent tears as he read the stories in the Matoran language. The penmanship was clumsy at the beginning but it soon smoothed out into one full of grace and elegance as the letters flowed of the writer's fingers. Gently closing the tablet, he hugged it to his chest, knowing that those fingers would never grace the pages again.

"You're here, there's nothing I fear

And I know that my heart will go on

We'll stay forever this way

You are safe in my heart

And my heart will go on and on"

Silence reigned as the song finished. The Autobots knew that Seaqua was a great singer and they had heard her sing that song before several times but never had they heard her sing it with such passion! They had all heard the message in her voice and knew that it had not been just a song for the Lightning Toa. She had not just sung her favorite song, she had sung her heart.

A glance went between Seaqua and Tahu. Tahu nodded and rose to his feet.

"Right then, the closest village is Le-Koro. We should get going if we are to make it before nightfall."

Lewa was already on his feet and headed off through the forest. The others hurried to keep up with him.

"Wait a minute, how do you know which village is the closest?"

"Pfft, seriously Lennox? This is our home and we did a quick recon earlier before we came for you."

Gali and Lewa chuckled at the look Lennox shot Takanuva. They were halfway to the village when Optimus came up alongside Seaqua and beckoned her away a bit from the group. They slowed their pace till they were out of earshot.

"May I ask you a question? How is it possible for you to be a Toa and a human? I mean you literally grew a foot and completely turned into a Bionicle yet you say you were born a human."

She didn't meet his gaze, she just looked ahead.

"It was five inches actually. And I was born a human. But when I first came here with the Toa Metru, I fell into a pool of energized protodermis. I was exploring with Matau and I miscalculated the distance to one of the vines. Matau managed to get me out and we found out that the transformation had granted me the ability to change from Toa to human and back. Word of warning though, if you ever come near the stuff, don't let it get on you."

"And why is that?"

"Energized protodermis is a very dangerous substance. It has the power to create, destroy, or transform any object or creature that it comes in contact with, depending on that one's destiny." Optimus gave her a questioning look. "I was apparently destined to be changed into a Toa. If not, we never would have met."

"Not much-more to go, brothers!" They heard Lewa call out as they rejoined the group. "Home-realm is just up ahead."

"Lewa, do you know where the Onu-Koro tunnels are?"

Lewa appeared startled as he answered. "Yes indeed, Lightning sister, but how would you be early-knowing of that?"

"I'm not that late-knowing wind brother." Seaqua chuckled softly. "Earth brother, Whenua, ever-told me of the tunnels he mind-planned to dig-build."

Lewa grinned brightly. "I did not think-know you could tree-speak!" Seaqua chuckled.

"Matau taught-learned me. Now, the tunnels?"

"Ah, right. Just keep-follow this road-path. It will take-lead you to the tunnel."

"Much-thanks Lewa!" Seaqua smiled as she averted her path to the one he had pointed to. She hadn't gone far when her arm was roughly grabbed. Whirling around, she found herself face to face with Prowl. Although his features were drawn tight, she could easily see the panic in his eyes.

"What are you doing?!" He hissed at her, keeping his voice down as much as possible. Seaqua laid a comforting hand over his, gently prying off his grip.

"I'm going to Ta-Koro. If you haven't noticed Tahu and Takanuva have already left." She gestured to the red and gold figures that disappeared down the path ahead of her. "And I must go as well."

"You can't. It's too dangerous out there for you to be by yourself. At least let one of us go with you."

Seaqua's gazed hardened. "You underestimate me, Prime. I don't know how long I've been gone and the island may have changed but the Matoran are still my people. Need I remind you, I am Toa and as such it is my sworn duty to protect them."

"They have the Toa Nuva with them, what could you possibly do to help that they haven't done?"

She shot Lennox with such a glare that he physically recoiled. "I will not stand idly by and watch Makuta harm my people, Major. Long ago, I stood side by side with the Toa Metru to fight for the Matoran and I will do so now, with the Toa Nuva. I will not abandon my people, my family, ever again."

Turning on her heel, she stormed off, leaving human and Autobots fairly chastised. Prowl felt his spark sink to his tanks. He should have known that her loyalties lay first with the Matoran and Toa. She had always had that look in her eyes, the same look that he saw many times in the optics of many Autobots. The longing to go home, to return to the place they knew they belonged. In many ways, he realized, she was no different than them. Though born of Earth, her home was here with the Matoran. Her place was here, her life was here. This is where she belonged and he knew that now that she had returned, nothing was going to convince her to leave again.


	10. Chapter 10

Seaqua stood on the beach of Ta-Wahi, watching the twin suns sink below the horizon. The salty air blew around her, caressing her skin and playing with her hair. It was almost as if the Great Spirit himself was welcoming the prodigal Toa home. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook her head and blinked back her tears. Yeah, like that was going to work. The emotion was too much. The longing in her heart was pleading for her to go now and see him, to be with him. Her arms ached at the thought of holding him once more. That's it, she couldn't take this anymore!

She glanced over in the direction on the path that led from the beach to the village. She smirked as she could only imagine how freaked out her fire and light brothers must've been when they found out she hadn't followed them through the tunnels. Instead, she had taken the route through the tree tops that Matau had shown her back in the early days. Turning away from the ocean, she transformed into her Hordika form and sprinted down the path in the steaming igneous rock and cooling lava that lead her straight for home. She slowed down a bit as she took in her surroundings. Mata Nui, what happened here? The forest that she remembered so green and full of life was now blackened and charred. She came to a stand-still while she was a good ways away from the village gates. In her excitement, she had forgotten about the guards. Okay, yeah, she had the Kanohi Huna, in fact she was using it now. But how in the world was she going to make it past them without making it obvious….

A commotion to her right caught her attention and she went to investigate. Not far from the path, she found three, strange two-legged creatures with snake-like rahi for heads and staffs circling a Matoran. Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt into the fray. She electrified the first one (a red one) and crushed the skull of the second (a black one). But the third one managed to get a hit in that sent her careening into a nearby tree, the impact causing her to lose control of her mask power. The Matoran managed to distract the creature by throwing a disk at its head. The green creature raised its staff, ready to strike, when a white flash stuck it from behind, frying the snake things within.

Jaller straightened after retrieving his disk and watched the rahi that had saved him. It was sniffing around the rahkshi, probably to insure that they were dead.

"They're dead. Don't worry." He stayed perfectly still so as to not frighten the rahi. He tilted his head to the side as he looked it over. "You're a Hordika, aren't you?" It looked up at him and he was relieved to see that the eyes were red not green. "No, don't go!" he called as the Hordika tried to make a run for it. It turned to him, its gaze worried and concerned. It stayed still as Jaller slowly approached it. He offered a friendly smile as he reached out to brush his fingertips along the blue muzzle. "Easy, easy there. You're okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." He proceeded to stroke its head and even reached to scratch behind its ear. The Hordika leaned its head against him, eyes half closed. He chuckled. "You like that?" His only answer was a soft purr. He chuckled again before giving a light yank to its ear to wake it up. "Well, thank you for helping me back there. Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to the village before they begin to worry." He started to walk away.

"Of course, my old friend."

Jaller froze at the voice and whirled around. The Hordika gave him a kind, knowing smile before disappearing into the forest. "Hey, wait!" He cried as he took off after her further into the forest. He followed down one path when a giggle led him down another one. Halfway down that path,

"Psst! Over here!"

He followed the voice down yet another path that placed him right outside the charred forest and at the crossroad that lead to either the beach or the koro. He looked around. The Hordika was nowhere to be found. "Ugh! Where did she go?" Suddenly, something hit him from behind and he soon found himself pinned on his back, looking up at the orange sky.

"Haha! Pinned ya!" That voice again. Jaller blinked his eyes a few times as the blue muzzle and laughing golden red eyes came into view.

"Seaqua?" He asked in a shaky voice. The Hordika smiles and backs away from him a bit before reverting back to the familiar form he thought he would never see again. Seaqua looks down at him, a smile on her face.

"Hello Jaller."

It was barely a whisper but it was enough. The Captain of the Guard ran to her, tears streaming down his mask.

"Seaqua!"

"Jaller!"

She fell to her knees and embraced her old friend as he fell in her arms.

"Seaqua! It IS you! You're alive! You're back! You're really back!" Jaller sobbed into her shoulder.

"Yes, Jaller." She swallowed thickly. "I am back. I've come home." She bowed her head over Jaller's as she let the tears finally fall. They stayed like that for some time before they finally released each other.

"Sorry bout that." Jaller hastily wiped at his mask. "I'm really glad you're home, Toa Seaqua." Said Toa smiled as she sat back and wiped away her tears.

"I'm glad to be home as well, Jaller. I've missed you guys so much." She let out a sigh as she looked around. I'm glad I'm back. Matoran and Toa sat in companionable silence looking out at the horizon as the first sun began to sink below it. Finally, Seaqua turned to Jaller.

"How's Vakama been?" Jaller glanced sadly at her before returning his gaze to the horizon.

"He's doing well, all things considered. But he misses you. Not a day goes by that he doesn't visit your old hut to clean it and tend to your belongings. He's mended your surfboard, dusted and maintained your tablets, polished your jewelry and has tended to your fire rose bush."

"Rose bush?" Odd, she didn't recall having a rose bush. She had brought a single rose with her from Metru Nui during the Great Rescue. How in the world was it now a bush?

"Yes." Jaller interrupted her thoughts. "Vakama and the Turaga used the seeds from your rose to plant it outside your door."

"Ah, well at least it gives him something to do. Keep him busy."

Jaller nodded. "He also wears your favorite ring on a cord around his neck."

She stared at him. She knew which ring he was referring to. It was the same ring she had worn around her neck when she first arrived on Metru Nui. It wasn't until she was older that she began to wear it on the middle finger of her right hand. She never took it off. Not until that day. She looked down at her hand and rubbed the bare finger. She had given it to Vakama as a way of saying she would come back. 'I will always return for what's mine.' She had said. Well, she had kept her promise…wait, how long HAS she been gone?

"Jaller? How long has it been since my death?"

"A thousand years." Was the hesitant reply.

She blinked. A thousand years? A thousand years?! Sheesh, she spends eight years on Earth only to come back to find that a thousand years have passed. _I know I did not walk through a wardrobe somewhere._ Then what Jaller said earlier registered with her and it made her heart sink.

"Vakama and the Turaga…mourned for me for a thousand years." It was more a statement than a question but Jaller nodded anyway. She drew her legs up and hugged her knees, her body trembling with withheld sobs. When she spoke, her voice was tight and heavy with grief.

"I want to see him Jaller. Please take me to see him."

The captain smiled up at her as he got to his feet. "You don't even have to ask." He beckoned with his hand as he turned to the village. "Come on."

Activating her Huna, she rose and followed him through the gates and across the bridge. She gazed at the outer walls with silent pride. Last she had seen it, the village was only halfway built. Now here it was, completed and standing strong. The Matoran had done well. When she voiced this, Jaller raised himself as tall as he could, seeming to puff up at her praise.

"Of course we've done well. We are Ta-Matoran after all. Everything we do is with excellence."

Seaqua refrained from rolling her eyes at this. Ta-Matoran, you give them an inch and they take off with a mile. She smirked as she followed her friend into the village. The minute her foot stepped over the threshold, she was struck with a sense of nostalgia. It really did feel like she had come home. She stood there, unmoving for a while, just taking everything in. The light brushing of a passing Ta-Matoran on her leg snapped her out of her daze and she hurried after Jaller to a hut at the southern end of the village. She briefly revealed herself to let him know where she was as she crouched near the door as he walked in. The next few minutes where tense. Nervousness gnawed fiercely at her stomach, making her sick. Resting a hand on the chiseled stone, she took several deep breaths to calm down. She distracted herself by watching the few Matoran who were still up as they went about making ready to go to their huts for a good night's rest; she caught sight of a group heading out with surfboards, no doubt hoping to snatch a few more "waves" before calling it a day. Lava surfing. Mata Nui, she missed that. If she ever got the time, she was so hitting the lava tubes. Especially at night when they are lit by nothing but the glow of the magma.

A tap on her shoulder brought her attention back to the present. Turning her head, she saw that Jaller was motioning for her. Deactivating her mask power, she drew near.

"Turaga Vakama is fast asleep. He has had a hard day today, being the anniversary and all."

Seaqua's eyes widened. Sweet Mata Nui! She came back on the anniversary of her "death"?! Talk about timing!

Taking a deep breath, she offered the captain a grateful nod as she stepped in. Jaller withdrew to his own hut knowing that awake or asleep, it did not matter to Seaqua as long as she saw her brother again. The first thing she saw upon entering was a blazing fire in the center of the room. Glancing around, she caught sight of a collection of gems, crystals and…rocks? She looked closer. Since when did 'Kama collect…oh wait, those were Mata Nui stones. A lot of Mata Nui stones. _Yeesh, he's almost as bad as I am with my bead collection._ She muttered to herself as she remembered the twenty-something containers of beads she had stored away back on Earth.

"Sister." The whimper made her turn to see a curled, red figure asleep on a stone bed. Treading quietly, she made her way over and slowly sat on the side. His hands were curled into tight fists in his robes and she could see the tear tracks on his Noble Huna in the firelight. _A nightmare._ She realized. _He's remembering that day. The day I died._

_Jaller and I had just finished our patrol for the day and I was getting ready to take first watch with Kapura when the attack happened._

_"__Toa! The Rahi are attacking the village!"_

_There were probably thirty-five or so Rahi making straight for Ta-Koro. The wall was only half finished and the temporary defenses would not hold out for long under such an assault. I knew the only way I had to protect my people and our new home was to face them. I run out to the incomplete gates._

_"__Quickly Captain, get the Turaga and the Matoran to safety! I will go and hold off the enemy."_

_With my brothers as Turaga, their powers were weakened. I would have to fight this battle on my own. For my father, my people, my brothers. Speaking of which,_

_"__No, sister, I refuse to let you go put there! It's too dangerous!"_

_Vakama tried to warn me. He tried to get me to go with him to safety. But I was too stubborn. I refused to listen to him. _

_"__Brother, I have no choice. I am Toa and as such it is my sworn duty to protect our people. I must go. I'm sorry."_

_I can never forget the pleading look in his eyes before I ran off to do battle. I still hear the desperation in his voice. The pure panic that made him scream after me, even after I was out of sight._

_"__No, young one, come back! Sister!"_

_I took on the Rahi, slaying many while forcing others to retreat. I had just managed to gain the upper hand when he showed up._

_"__Well, well, well, what have we here? Just what is a young Toa like you doing out here fighting all by your lonesome?"_

_I knew he was jesting, baiting me, pushing my buttons so that I would attack him. I kept quiet._

_"__Shouldn't you be defending your village? But here you are fighting these unimportant Rahi while the real threat is even now wiping out the last of the Matoran."_

_I knew he was lying, I knew Jaller had gotten everyone to safety in time. I knew they were alive._

_"__You're lying! The Matoran are alive. I know they are safe."_

_But what I didn't know…_

_"__Are you sure? What if they didn't make it this time? What if a stray shot caused a landslide and it has buried your people beneath?"_

_What I was too tired and angry to figure out…_

_"__What if I already killed them?"_

_Was that I had been the target all along._

_"__How DARE you threaten my family!"_

_In my rage, I foolishly attacked him. I lost all concentration, all focus. I was blinded by the sheer agony at the possibility that I had lost my beloved brother that nothing else mattered but vengeance. _

_"__You so much as touch their masks and I swear I'll destroy you!"_

_He took advantage of my exhaustion and rage and while I got a few hits in, it did not do any serious damage to him. He pounded me, grabbed me by the legs and threw me into the surrounding trees and rocks, breaking my ribs and damaging my hips. He took hold of my head and slammed my mask, my face, into the hard ground continuously til my mask cracked. Then, he held me by my wrists and shot up into the sky, twisting my limp body this way and that, straining my wrists to the point of breaking. Finally, he stops. Releasing my wrists, he wraps his hand around my throat, choking me. He pulls me close and whispers in my ear,_

_"__Name's Makuta Mutran by the way, not that it matters."_

_I only gaze at him in answer, unable to do anything._

_"__Farewell, Toa."_

_He drops me. I fall hard on my back on a slab of cooled igneous rock near the location of Ta-Koro. I can hardly breathe. I hear my brother's voice cry out my name but I do not respond. My strength, my life, is fading fast. My thoughts turn to my brothers and I hold on, desperate to see them all just once more. I feel warmth near me. I open my eyes. I do not remember closing them. I see the frantic, upside down mask of my brother. I shift my gaze. I am in Vakama's hut, lain near the sacred fire. A shuffling noise id heard to my left. I slowly turn my head. My Turaga brothers and sister are all here. Nokama tells me to rest, that everything will be fine. Matau begs for me to hurry up and get better-fine so that he can leap-race with me in the high- branch later. Nuju calmly requests that I heal up as I still have to help him with the Sanctuary seeing that the Wall of Prophecies has yet to be completed. Whenua informs me of a lightstone cavern that he is eager to show me. Onewa gruffly orders me to get back on my feet so that I can help him at the Quarry. Vakama, well, Vakama doesn't say anything. He just rubs his thumb on the side of my head, wiping at the blood that trickles from the side of my mouth, looking down at me sadly as I try to respond to the others' jests. But I can't. Tears blur my vision and I let them roll down my mask as I sense my time drawing to a close. I look out the window to see the first light of dawn. Gathering what little strength I had left, I clutch Vakama's arm in a death grip (no pun intended) with one hand while I reach out for the others with the other. It is caught and held fast by Nuju. I lock eyes with him and see the tear streaked Matatu. I lock eyes with each of the Turaga in turn as I begin to lose the fight. Finally, with one last effort, I manage to speak one last time._

_"__I love you…my brothers."_

_My world goes dark and the last thing I hear is the heartbroken wail of my family._

_"__NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Vakama stirs a bit, snapping Seaqua out of her memories. She closes her eyes, tilting her head back as she struggles to swallow back her sobs. _I don't know how I managed to return to Earth, alive and unscathed._ She gently rested a hand on the slumbering Turaga's shoulder. _But not a day went by that I didn't try to come back. For eight years, I looked for a way to come back and never found it. But I'm back now and I'm never leaving you again, Vakama. Never again._ Rising quietly, she laid a soft kiss on his cheek.

"I love you."

She turned to leave. She decided to go check on Takanuva and Tahu before retiring to her hut. She had only made it halfway across the room (seriously, what is with this girl and halfways?) when a voice called out behind her, freezing her in her tracks.

"Sea…qua?" That soft, calming voice that had made her feel safe so many times, had reassured her, soothed her, encouraged her. The voice she thought she would never hear again, struck a chord in her. Unable to stand it any longer, she fell to her knees and buried her head in her hands as her shoulders shook with muffled sobs. There was a rustling sound followed by hurried footsteps that came to a stop in front of her. But she refused to look up, even after a pair of warm hands removed hers from her face and she hears the sharp intake of breath.

"Seaqua?" The voice trembles as the grip tightens. "Is it really you?" Finally, she looks up into the tear-filled eyes of her beloved brother. She squeezes his hands as she manages a small smile. She could hardly respond but she manages.

"Yes 'Kama. It's me." Vakama's eyes fly wide in surprise. Before she knew it, Seaqua found herself held in a tight embrace that she didn't want to leave any time soon. Burying her head into his shoulder, she let the tears flow, finally cleansing her heart of the sorrow she had carried for so long.

"I'm home."


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm not dead! Though my books nearly WERE the death of me, creatively speaking. Thankfully, I was able to get this chapter out for you guys. Thanks to Allspark Princess for the song choice. You are the best! :D So...yeah, I'm gonna shut up now and get on with the story.**

**"Let it Go" belongs to Disney.**

* * *

It was still dark when Seaqua began to awaken. Problem was, she was so comfortable she did not want to get up. Her mind told her it was time to get up due to the old habit she kept but her body refused to acknowledge the order. Half awake, she made to roll over only to find that something was hindering her from doing so. Mumbling a light growl, she cracked an eye open and gazed at a warm heartlight. At first, she was confused. Then memories of last night flooded into the forefront of her mind, jolting her awake. She became aware of arms wrapped around her, holding her tight but loose enough so as not to suffocate her. She gave a satisfied smile as she snuggled closer to the red chest. A chuckle rumbled above her, making her grin into the robes.

"Good morning, sister."

She managed to wrap her arms around him in a responding hug. 'Good morning to you as well, brother." She grinned up at him. "Have you been up long?"

He mirrored her smile before detangling himself from her. "Not long. Woke up a few minutes ago." He moved to tend to the sacred fire.

She gave him a disbelieving look as she sat up. ""A few minutes ago'? Vakama, I do recall you being the earliest riser, even earlier than me. If anything, you have been up for at least an hour and a half." She got to her feet and stretched. Vakama chuckled.

"You always were the observant one. Always quick to figure things out." He handed her an apple from a nearby basket.

"I had great teachers." She smirked into the fruit, chuckling softly. She pauses mid-bite as she felt a slight tightness around her upper torso. Carefully, she fingered the area to feel the edge of the bandages that showed an inch below her top. "Wah…?"

"You were injured. From the amount of splinters I had to pull out last night, I would say you ran smack into a few trees." The look he gave her demanded an explanation. She chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head.

"Yeeah, about that. Um, it was one tree actually. In the charred forest. And I might have kinda sorts crashed into it when that green snake-faced Rahi bucked me off."

"A snake-faced…a rahkshi?!" She did not acknowledge the panic in her brother's outcry. She kept her focus on the bandages

"Oh, so that's what they're called. That's good to know." She muttered, settling down on the bed again and returning to her apple as Vakama pretty much lectured her about how dangerous a move that had been. _Here we go again._ Oh yeah, she remembered this. _Not even a day and he's already chewing me out._ Her thoughts wandered to her younger brothers. Maybe she should go check up on them, see what they are doing, if they're even awake that is. So lost in her thoughts was she that she did not notice Vakama reaching for something outside her line of sight.

SMACK!

"Yeouch!" She yelped as quietly as possible as she leapt to her feet and backed away, hand to her head. She looked at the staff wielding Turaga, startled. That was a first.

"A green rahkshi? What were you thinking?! That was a Lerahk. Its attack is poison. If you had gotten so much as a scratch…" The rage in his eyes made her cringe. She took a step back, hands raised in surrender.

"Whoa, chillax bro. How was I supposed to know that? I've been gone for ten centuries. What are you all upset about? The thing's taken care of. Jaller managed to distract it enough for me to make the killing blow and I did not get scratched."

That seemed to calm him down…a bit. He wrapped her in a tight embrace. It aggravated her wounds causing her to wince but she didn't push him away.

"Don't you EVER do something like that again." She smiled as she once again buried her face in his shoulder, a hand rubbing his back in an effort to calm him. It worked as his grip lessened and she could properly breathe. Inhaling deeply, she offered him her signature smile.

"You know I can't do that, big brother." She raised a hand to stop his retort. "But I can promise to be more careful and choose my battles better. Will that suffice?"

Vakama just shook his head in mock exasperation as he turned back to the fire. "There is just no stopping you, is there?"

"Nope." She grinned wider as she popped the p. He returned the gesture before focusing on his work. After a while, she stood up abruptly. "I'm gonna go see Nuju. The first sun is nearly up."

"Not even back a day and already you're taking up your old habits." Vakama chuckled as he smirked at her. She mirrored it.

"Old habits die hard, Vak." She bowed her head in parting. He watched her leave but she paused upon reaching the door.

"Something the matter?" He asked after a long moment. He caught the insecurity in her body language. She wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it. He waited, letting her collect her thoughts.

"Just to inform you, the Toa Nuva and I did not return alone. Four friends of mine from Earth came with us. I left them at Le-Koro. Our parting was…not the best."

Vakama raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like her to get into a spat with someone. True, she got upset a few times, got into a few arguments and only once did he see her really angry. But to leave her friends on bad terms…that wasn't like her, unless…

"With all of them or just one?" She glanced over her shoulder and he jerked lightly in shock at the sorrow in her eyes.

"One." Her voice was low, barely over a whisper, and heavy with heartache. "Just one."

She ran out of the hut, unaware of the look of realization on her brother's mask. She slowed her run to a walk so that she could take in more of the village. It was still early, many Matoran were not up yet. Those who were, she greeted as she made her way to the gate. Several times, she was stopped and asked for verification of her identity which she gladly gave. Needless to say, many Matoran went to work elated that their lost Toa had returned. As she approached the bridge, she was greeted warmly by the guards. One voice caught her attention and she turned to its owner.

"Morning Jaller." She waved as she drew near. The Captain of the Guard smiled in greeting as he saluted her.

"Greetings Toa Seaqua. I trust you had a restful night?"

She returned the smile. "Indeed I did, Captain. I don't think I've slept that deeply before."

"I'll say." Both turned to see a sleepy Takanuva walk up to them (stumble is more like it). "Though I could still go for a few more hours." He yawned, rubbing his eyes. Jaller rolled his at his old friend while Seaqua snickered behind her hand.

"Same old Takua."

"Takua, your "few hours" will turn into the entire day if you keep staying up so late." Try as he might, Jaller couldn't help smiling at the Toa of Light. "Why were you up late last night anyway?" Takanuva raised his arms over his head as he stretched, attempting to wake himself up. Sadly it didn't work. He felt something zap him, causing him to jump nearly three feet.

"Ouch!" He yelped. He glared at his older sister.

"Morning!" Jaller laughed as Seaqua whistled innocently.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny you two. And to answer your question Jaller, I was up late looking for Seaqua." He turned to the Toa in question. "Tahu and I nearly panicked when we realized that you were not following us. We thought you had gotten lost in the tunnels."

Seaqua looked aside, chewing on her bottom lip a bit. She had wanted to go check on them last night but had fallen asleep in Vakama's arms.

"My apologies Taka. It was not my intention to worry you. I had meant to check on the two of you before turning in for the night. But I failed to do so as my reunion with Vakama took up the last of my strength."

Takanuva smiled at her in understanding. "We figured as much."

"Taking into consideration the day we had yesterday, we can't blame you for being exhausted."

Seaqua jumped and whirled around to see the fire Toa standing behind her. "Tahu! How did you…?"

"I was coming in from patrol to talk with Vakama before heading out on the surf." An excited gleam entered his eyes. "I heard you were a great surfer, would you like to join me in a race?"

Seriously, was that even a question? How could she not want to feel the thrill of riding the lava again? The adrenaline pumping through your veins, the hot air on your mask, performing daring stunts that the slightest mistake could mean the end of you…oh yes, yes, yes! And a thousand times yes!

"My apologies Tahu. As much as I would love to join you, I must decline. I should go see Turaga Nuju then proceed to Le-Koro to reveal myself to Matau, if Lewa hasn't spilled the news already, and check on Lennox and the Autobots."

A flash of disappointment shown in his eyes but he nodded in understanding. "Does Turaga Nuju know of your return?"

"I doubt it." She was about to say something else when she was interrupted.

"Why go around the island when you could ask Turaga Vakama to call the other Turaga together at the Kini Nui?"

Seaqua raised an eyebrow at the golden Toa. "Do you honestly think it would be wise to gather them together after the anniversary of my death? Especially to such a special place as the Great Temple? They wouldn't go for it. In their minds, this is a time of sorrow and the best way to prevent unnecessary bickering would be to stay apart until the time of mourning has past."

Tahu blinked in confusion. "Why would they bicker if they came together now?"

"Because they each blame the others for Seaqua's death." Jaller murmured, seeing where she was going with this. Seaqua nodded.

"Which is why I must go to each village separately to see them. It would be a lot easier and it will keep the peace." She calls over her shoulder as she turns to leave. "And besides, it gives me an excuse to get reacquainted with the terrain."

"Seaqua, wait!" She turned in time to catch the object Jaller had tossed at her. It was a small, red circle with the image of an erupting volcano etched into it. "Show that to the guard to gain access to the cable car." Raising the badge in a salute, she crossed the bridge and turned to the left, out of their sight.

"How does she know where the cable car is?" Tahu looked to his two companions, clearly thinking they had updated her. Jaller simply offered a knowing smile as he returned to his post.

"She helped build it."Takanuva could not resist the laughter at his fire brother's slack features before running off to make his rounds. Tahu stood alone at the gate for a few minutes before shaking it off and resuming his trek to the Turaga.

Meanwhile, Seaqua was running up the steps on the side of the volcano but paused halfway up. She tossed the badge in her hand once as she smiled. "Sorry pal," she muttered, "but why ride when you can fly?" She glanced at her hand again. "But, then again, I'll humor ya." Sprinting the rest of the way to the cable car, she gave quite a shock to the guard posted there. Poor Kapura nearly had a heart attack at her sudden appearance. It took a few minutes to calm and reassure him that it was truly her, not a vision or Makuta trying to get him. Once he was assured, she showed him the badge, requesting passage to Ko-Wahi. He granted her request and wished her well, a wide smile on his mask. Fondly rubbing the top of his head in farewell, she revealed and raised her wings and shot into the sky, leaving the heat behind for the chill of Mt. Ihu.

She had planned to fly the entire way to the ice village but due to the fact that her wings were only half healed and still badly torn from her battle with Mutran (thank Mata Nui she had hidden them in her back again or else Vak would never let her hear the end of it), she had no choice but to land in the Drifts. She gently dropped on the snow, collapsing on her hands and knees as a pain-filled moan emerged from her mouth. Mata Nui, that hurts! Her back felt it was literally on fire. She resisted the urge to lie on her back in the snow, knowing that it wouldn't do anything. The problem was her wings not her back.

Speaking of which, a gust of frigid air bit at her skin, reminding her that she had nothing warm to wear. Shivering, she wrapped her arms around herself and slowly, carefully wrapped her wings around her body as best as possible to keep in her body heat. Getting to her feet, she began to make her way through the white blanket, determined to make it to the village before the weather got worse. As she trekked, her thoughts went in every which direction, trying to find something to think on other than the numbing pain. That's when she noticed it. The snow. Soft, smooth, freshly fallen, hardly any footprints at all. Now where had she heard that line before? She smiled to herself. Why not, it fits the situation and it'll keep her mind off of her back.

"The snow glows white on the mountain tonight.

Not a footprint to be seen.

A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen.

The wind is howling like this swirling strom inside.

Couldn't keep it in, Heaven knows I tried."

Glancing back down the mountain, she caught sight of the treetops of Le-Wahi. She frowned as her thoughts went to the Autobots she had left there and then farther back to her time with them on Earth. She remembered all the times she had to withhold her powers. All the times she had to catch herself in time before spilling the beans. All the slaggin' times she had wanted to scare the daylights out of Galloway with her Hordika mode or humiliate him by using her powers to make him do something insanely ridiculous in public, like dance the Thriller or hit himself in the face. How fearful she was about hurting her friends by accident, seeing as they were metal.

"Don't let them in, don't let them see,

Be the good girl you always have to be.

Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know.

Well, now they know."

She looked up at the mountain ahead of her, and for the first time in years, felt truly free. Free to be herself. Free to use her powers without worrying about harming someone or being judged due to ignorance. Free. A grin threatened to split her face in two as the weight on her chest and mind faded as that fact set in. She was free. She was FREE! The joy she felt at that revelation was easily heard in her next words.

"Let it go, let it go

Can't hold it back any more

Let it go, let it go

Turn my back and slam the door

And here I stand and here I'll stay

Let it go, let it go

The cold never bothered me anyway"

A quiet chuckle escapes her at the irony. Au contraire, the cold did bother her. She was freezing up here, for crying out loud! As she resumed her pace, something in the ice catches her eye. She turns to look but it disappears. She frowns. What was that? She turns away…wait! There it was again! Shifting her weight, she kept her gaze on the spot. There! Something shining in the sunlight! Curious, she walks over as she searches her memories of the area. Amber eyes widen in remembrance and she books it to the object. Reaching out, she grabs it through the snow and gives it a strong jerk clockwise, simultaneously channeling her element through it. A slab of ice slides back, revealing a passageway into this part of the glacier. Beaming, she enters the ice in anticipation of what awaited her within.

"It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small

And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all.

Up here in the cold thin air I finally can breathe.

I know I left a life behind but I'm too relieved to grieve."

The corridor that led from the entrance was a thing of beauty. The peridot that made up that made up the floor and left side of the tunnel mingled into the aquamarine in the ceiling and finally the clear diamond on the right. It gave one the sense that they are walking through a frozen portion of the Banzai Pipeline. From there, the ice opened into a large, circular chamber. Opal stalactites were arranged in sections across the diamond ceiling and parts of the apatite wall while their larimar counterparts stretch from the sapphire floor, some reaching their gleaming fingers up, barely touching the opal tips while others make contact and intertwine to support the grotto. The walls are decorated with of moonstone, pearl and emerald that curl and weave their way across the surface, creating magnificent floral patterns.

"Let it go, let it go

I am one with the wind and sky

Let it go, let it go

You'll never see me cry!

Here I stand and here I'll stay

Let it go, let it go

The cold never bothered me anyway."

Seaqua dances around the 20 foot pillars as she makes her way to the center of the room where a dais of white agate awaits. Not breaking her stride, she jumps in the air and lands perfectly in the center of the Virtues. Raising her arms outward, she releases her ribbons of colored light. They glow brightly, displaying the pure joy in their mistress' heart. She spins around as she watches them twirl around the room, weaving in and out of the columns, and illuminating parts of the room to the beat of the music. With a wave of the hand, several abandon their dance to frolic around her. As the beams tighten their circle, she slowly extends her wings to give them better access. The ribbons continue to wrap around her until she is once again completely enveloped. Blue, white and silver tendrils wrap around her tattered wings, returning them to their former glory.

"Standing frozen

In the life I've chosen.

You won't find me.

The past is all behind me

Buried in the snow."

After a minute, the ribbons retreated to rejoin the others, leaving her with a sky blue sweater, navy blue jeans and a pair of white boots. Her newly restored wings wrapped around her as she tested them out. Hmm, still sore but not that bad. She was going to have to talk to Nokama soon about that. She smiled to herself as she ran her hands over the soft, blue-tipped feathers.

"Let it go, let it go

And I'll ride like the break of dawn

Let it go, let it go

That perfect girl is gone!"

She looks to the lightning crackling around her hands, a sly grin on her face. Running over to a corner, she opens an ice chest and pulls out a crystal. Not losing a beat, she rushes over to one of the columns and pulls out a staff from its base. Carefully, she connects the two pieces. Once they are securely placed, she hovers 15 feet in the air, wings outstretched, and raises the staff above her head, channeling her power through it. The result is a gorgeous aurora that fills the room.

"Here I stand

In the light of day

Let it go, let it go

The cold never bothered me anyway, yeah, whoa

Let it go yeah

Na,na.

Here I stand.

Let it go, let it go, oh

Let it go."

No sooner had the last word left her lips that the sound of stifled laughter reaches her ears. Startled, she looked around as she descended, eyes searching for the intruder. A soft giggled came from her left. She caught sight of her yellow ribbon playing a merry game of keep away with someone. The person turned and her eyes flew wide at the familiar face.

**A/N *groans* Oh my brain cells! College is killing me this all these essays and they are due in a week. This might be my last post for a while. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on this, but it will be a while till I can post again. My muse has run off somewhere and Ouch! Stupid plot bunny bit me again! Ugh! That is it! *chases after plot bunny in vengeance* **


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